staurogram

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noun

A ligature, ⳨, of the Greek letters τ and ρ or Coptic letters ⲧ and ⲣ, later used as a symbol of the cross in early Christianity and remaining in use as a ligature in abbreviations of the words σταυρός and σταυρόω.

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Meanings

nounstaurogram (plural staurograms)

plural staurograms · alternative Staurogram

  1. A ligature, ⳨, of the Greek letters τ and ρ or Coptic letters ⲧ and ⲣ, later used as a symbol of the cross in early Christianity and remaining in use as a ligature in abbreviations of the words σταυρός and σταυρόω.

Origin

From stauro- + -gram. Coined c. 1970 as a parallel of Christogram, earlier (1870s) the τρ ligature was referred to as monogrammatic cross. German Staurogramm in the same sense possibly slightly earlier (1960s); the German word was used earlier (1840s) only in the sense of a geometric configuration in crystallography; similarly, New Latin Staurogramma before 1970 only as systematic name of a genus of Bacillariophyceae (L. Rabenhorst, 1853).

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

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

Chicago

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

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