graphology
/ɡɹæˈfɒ.lə.d͡ʒi/
graphology means the study of handwriting, especially as a means of analyzing a person's character. Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 85 out of 100.
graphology is pronounced /ɡɹæˈfɒ.lə.d͡ʒi/.
Why “graphology” is a great word
Graphology is the analysis of a person's character through their handwriting, a practice built on the supposition that pen strokes reveal the soul. From French graphologie, coined by Jean-Hippolyte Michon from Ancient Greek γραφή (graphḗ, 'writing') + French -logie ('study of'). Unlike paleography, which deciphers ancient scripts for historical record, or forensic document examination, which authenticates a signature through physical trace evidence, graphology seeks the self-portrait in a slant or a loop. It is the divination practiced in the swirl of a cursive 'g,' the boldness read into a heavy t-bar, and the entire personality supposedly coiled within the pressure of pen on paper—a testament to our enduring belief that the most fleeting of human gestures can be made to confess a permanent truth.
Etymology
From French graphologie, coined by Jean-Hippolyte Michon from Ancient Greek γραφή (graphḗ, “writing”) + French -logie (“study of”). By surface analysis, grapho- + -logy.
noun
- The study of handwriting, especially as a means of analyzing a person's character.“Near-synonym: psychographology (sometimes synonymous)”
- A system of handwriting.“"Talented" children fall into one of two classes: those with an imitative ability who readily absorb the preconceived graphologies they see about them in pictures, magazines and books, and those[…].”