brachygraphy

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noun

A system of writing using abbreviations or special characters; shorthand.

OriginFrench brachygraphie ← Ancient Greek βραχύς →
Scrabble 31
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Meanings

nounbrachygraphy (countable and uncountable, plural brachygraphies)

plural brachygraphies

  1. countableobsoleteuncountableA system of writing using abbreviations or special characters; shorthand.

    I would for these causes wish him that is melancholy […] to impose some task upon himself, to divert his melancholy thoughts: to study the art of memory […], or practise brachygraphy, etc., that will ask a great deal of attention […]

    1624, Democritus Junior [pseudonym; Robert Burton], The Anatomy of Melancholy: […], 2nd edition, Oxford, Oxfordshire: […] John Lichfield and James Short, for Henry Cripps, →OCLC, partition 2, section 2, member 4

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
shorthand

Origin

  1. Ancient Greekβραχύς“short”
  2. Frenchbrachygraphie
  3. Englishbrachygraphy

From French brachygraphie, from Ancient Greek βραχύς (brakhús, “short”) + -γραφία (-graphía, “writing”).

More words from French, Ancient Greek

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

brachygraphy. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/brachygraphy

MLA

“brachygraphy.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/brachygraphy. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “brachygraphy,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/brachygraphy.

Source: brachygraphy on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.