sigillography means the study of seals, especially those attached to documents. Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 87 out of 100.
Why “sigillography” is a great word
SIGILLOGRAPHY — [Noun] The scholarly study of seals, especially those attached to documents as marks of authenticity. From Latin sigillum ("seal, small image") + the combining form -graphy (from Greek -graphia, "writing, description"). Unlike sphragistics (its direct Greek-derived synonym) or heraldry (which concerns hereditary coats of arms), sigillography is the forensic examination of impressed authority. It is the cool weight of a pendant seal on a medieval charter, the intricate press of a signet ring into warm wax, and the patient deciphering of a blurred motto around a knight's equestrian figure—a discipline devoted to the quiet scars that truth leaves behind.
noun
- The study of seals, especially those attached to documents.