chirograph

C3H4I1R1O1G2R1A1P3H4

noun

A kind of medieval document written in duplicate (or more) on a single piece of parchment, then cut across a single word, so that each holder of a portion can prove it matches the others.

OriginMiddle French chirographe ← Ancient Greek χειρόγραφος →
Scrabble 21
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Meanings

nounchirograph (plural chirographs)

plural chirographs

  1. historicallawA kind of medieval document written in duplicate (or more) on a single piece of parchment, then cut across a single word, so that each holder of a portion can prove it matches the others.
  2. CatholicismA papal decree whose circulation, unlike an encyclical, is limited to the Roman curia.
  3. obsoleteThe last part of a fine of land; the "foot of the fine".

    a Record […]called the Chirograph, or Foot of the Fine

    1741, The Attorney's Practice in the Court of Common Pleas

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
charter

Origin

  1. Ancient Greekχειρόγραφος“written with the hand”
  2. Middle Frenchchirographe
  3. Englishchirograph

From Middle French chirographe, from Ancient Greek χειρόγραφος (kheirógraphos, “written with the hand”) χείρ (kheír, “hand”) + γράφω (gráphō, “write”).

More words from Middle French, Ancient Greek

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

French chirographe, charte-partie
  • chirographeTranslations
  • charte-partieTranslations
German Chirograph, Teilurkunde
  • ChirographTranslations
  • TeilurkundeTranslations
Italian chirografo
  • chirografoTranslations
Latin chirographum
  • chirographumTranslations
Polish cyrograf
  • cyrografTranslations
Cite this entry
APA

chirograph. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/chirograph

MLA

“chirograph.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/chirograph. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “chirograph,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/chirograph.

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