-graphy

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The English suffix -graphy means either "writing" or a "field of study", and is an anglicization of the French -graphie inherited from the Latin -graphia, which is a transliterated direct borrowing from Greek.

[edit] Etymology

The English suffix is derived from Greek γραφία, the -ία abstract of the verb γράφειν "to write", via Latin graphia. It often functions literally as a reference to writing (e.g. calligraphy, cartography, biography). However, it also has evolved to denote a field of study, particularly studies that involve some degree of collecting, cataloging and/or surveying (e.g. geography, demography, oceanography).

Of special note, -ography and -igraphy are not formal suffixes bearing separate connotations. The -o- (the thematic vowel) and -i- are distinct Greek suffixes.

The ultimate origin of γράφειν (aorist γράψαι; Doric also γρόφω) "incise, write" (compare γλύφειν "carve", whence glyph) is from a PIE root *gerbh-, cognate to OE ceorfan "incise, cut", MHG kerben and OCS žrěbii "lot" (originally probably a stick with carved markings). It has many derivations within Greek, such as γραφή "incision, inscription", adjective γραφικός (graphic), γράμματα "letters" (grammar), γράφημα (grapheme), γραμμός "the act of writing", γραφεύς (γροφεύς) and γραπτήρ "scribe".

[edit] List of -graphies

Some non-study -graphies are the following:

Autobiography, the biography of a person written by that person
Bibliography, a list of writings used or considered by an author in preparing a particular work
Biography, an account of a person's life
Cacography, bad handwriting or spelling
Calligraphy, the art of fine handwriting
Cartography, the art and field of mapmaking
Choreography, the art of creating and arranging dances or ballets
Cryptography, the art of hiding the content of information
Discography, a listing of sound recordings
Filmography, a selective list of movie titles that share a similar characteristic such as the same genre, the same director, the same actor, etc.
Floriography, the language of flowers
Lithography, a method for printing on a smooth surface
Orthography, rules of correct writing
Pornography, the art of arousing imagery
Photography, the art, practice, or occupation of taking and printing photographs
Steganography, the art of writing hidden messages
Stenography, the art of writing in shorthand
Tasseography, the art of reading tea leaves
Typography, the art and techniques of type design
Webography, a bibliography published on the Internet, or a similar listing of websites
Xerography, a means of copying documents

Some study-related -graphies are the following:

Cartography, the study and making of maps
Demography, the study of the characteristics of human populations, such as size, growth, density, distribution, and vital statistics
Encephalography, the recording of voltages from the brain
Geography, the study of spatial relationships on the Earth's surface
Hagiography, the study of saints
Historiography, the study of the study of history
Oceanography, the exploration and scientific study of the ocean and its phenomena
Orography, the science and study of mountains
Reprography
Selenography, the study and mapping of the physical features of the Moon
Uranography, the study and mapping of stars and space objects