There is much to say about the Greek root graph which means ‘to write,’ so let this ‘written’ discourse begin!
One of the most common uses of this root is in the suffix -graphy. Geography is simply ‘writing’ about the physical characteristics of the Earth. A biography is ‘writing’ about someone’s life, whereas an autobiography is ‘writing’ about your own life. And a bibliography is a ‘written’ lists of books you’ve used when writing a paper.
Many people ‘write’ in different ways. For instance, a calligrapher is one who ‘writes’ with beautiful hand-‘writing.’ A choreographer, on the other hand, ‘writes’ dance steps. A cinematographer ‘writes’ scenes in a film by using a camera. ‘Writing’ with film is not unusual at all—consider the photographer, who expresses herself by ‘writing’ with light on film!
Life was made much easier by transmitting messages via the telegraph, which ‘wrote’ at a distance. What do you do with graph paper, on which lines have already been ‘written’? You, of course, draw a graph, or ‘written’ diagram! Paragraphs are, of course, ‘written;’ paragraphs are so called, however, because they are ‘written’ alongside each other.
When you ask someone for her autograph, you want her signature ‘written’ by herself. Graphic artists might be particularly good at that, since they deal with ‘written,’ vivid images on a daily basis. Unfortunately, some people have a habit of ‘writing’ graffiti where they shouldn’t!
Enough ‘writing’ for the day, lest I run out of graphite in my e-pencil!
- geography: Earth ‘writing’
- biography: ‘writing’ of someone’s life
- bibliography: ‘writing’ about books used
- calligraphy: beautiful ‘writing’
- choreography: the ‘writing’ of dance steps
- cinematography: the ‘writing’ of film scenes
- photography: the ‘writing’ of pictures using light
- telegraph: ‘writing’ from afar
- autograph: self ‘written’
- graffiti: ‘writing’ on walls