monogram

English

Alternative forms

• monogramme (obsolete)

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈmɒ.nəˌɡɹæm/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈmɑ.nəˌɡɹæm/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɒnəɡɹæm
• Hyphenation: mo‧no‧gram

Etymology 1

From French monogramme, from the Classical Latin adjective monogrammus, from the conjectured Ancient Greek * μονόγραμμος (monógrammos, “outlined”, “drawn with single lines”).

Noun

monogram (plural monograms)

1. (obsolete) A picture drawn in line only, before the colour and/or shading is applied; an outline sketch.

References

• “†monogram, n.¹” listed in the Oxford English Dictionary [draft revision; Mar. 2010]

Etymology 2

Formed as mono- +‎ -gram, by analogy with epigram.

Noun

monogram (plural monograms)

1. (obsolete, rare) A sentence consisting of only one line, or an epigram consisting of only one verse, of poetry.

References

• “†monogram, n.²” listed in the Oxford English Dictionary [draft revision; Mar. 2010]

Etymology 3

The noun derives from the post-Classical Latin monogrammum, itself from the Medieval Greek μονόγραμμον (monógrammon); compare the French and Middle French monogramme, as well as the Italian monogramma. The verb derives from the noun; compare the earlier adjective monogrammed and the slightly earlier noun monogramming.

Noun

The royal monogram of Marguerite of Lorraine (1615–1672), Duchess of Orléans and Alençon

monogram (plural monograms)

1. A design or motif composed of one or more letters, often intertwined, used as an identifying mark of an individual or institution; the letters are usually the initials of their names.

   Hyponym: Christogram

   • 2021 December 15, Robin Leleux, “Awards honour the best restoration projects: The Great Western Railway Craft Skills Award: Victoria Arcade”, in RAIL, number 946, page 59:

     It dates from 1909-1911, when the then District Railway (its DR monogram is on one of the roundels in the fine plasterwork) rebuilt its Victoria station.

Derived terms

• Constantinian monogram
• monogrammal
• monogrammatic
• monogrammatise
• monogrammatize
• monogrammic
• monogrammist

Translations

a design composed of one or more letters used as an identifying mark

• Bulgarian: моногра́ма (bg) f (monográma)
• Catalan: monograma m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 花押字 (huāyāzì)

• Czech: monogram m
• Danish: monogram n
• Dutch: monogram (nl) n
• Esperanto: monogramo
• Finnish: monogrammi (fi)
• French: monogramme (fr) m
• German: Monogramm (de) n
• Greek: μονόγραμμα (el) n (monógramma)
• Hungarian: monogram (hu)
• Icelandic: fangamark
• Ido: monogramo (io)
• Italian: monogramma (it) m
• Japanese: モノグラム (monoguramu)
• Korean: 모노그램 (monogeuraem)
• Latvian: monogramma f
• Lithuanian: monograma f
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: monogram n

  Nynorsk: monogram n

• Polish: monogram (pl) m
• Portuguese: sigla (pt) f, monograma (pt) m
• Romanian: monogramă (ro) f
• Russian: моногра́мма (ru) f (monográmma), ве́нзель (ru) m (vénzelʹ)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: монограм m

  Latin: monogram (sh) m

• Spanish: monograma (es) m
• Swedish: monogram (sv) n
• Turkish: monogram

  Ottoman Turkish: علامت (ʼalamet), نشان (nişan)

• Ukrainian: моногра́ма f (monohráma)

See also

• royal cypher
• imperial cypher
• tughra

References

• “monogram, n.³” listed in the Oxford English Dictionary [draft revision; Mar. 2010]

Verb

monogram (third-person singular simple present monograms, present participle monogramming or (rare) monograming, simple past and past participle monogrammed or (rare) monogramed)

1. (transitive) To mark something with a monogram.

Derived terms

• monogrammable
• unmonogrammed

Translations

(transitive) to mark something with a monogram

• Bulgarian: please add this translation if you can
• French: monogrammer (fr)
• German: monogrammieren (de)
• Hungarian: monogramoz
• Italian: incidere (it), contrassegnare (it), intagliare (it)

References

• “monogram, v.” listed in the Oxford English Dictionary [draft revision; Mar. 2010]

Etymology 4

Noun

monogram (plural monograms)

1. One of the symbols used in either the I Ching divination or the Taixuanjing divination:
   1. the unbroken line ⚊ for Heaven;
   2. the once-broken line ⚋ for Earth;
   3. the twice-broken line 𝌀 for Man (only used in Taixuanjing divination).

Anagrams

• nomogram

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology

From mono- +‎ -gram.

Noun

monogram n (definite singular monogrammet, indefinite plural monogram or monogrammer, definite plural monogramma or monogrammene)

1. a monogram

References

• “monogram” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

From mono- +‎ -gram.

Noun

monogram n (definite singular monogrammet, indefinite plural monogram, definite plural monogramma)

1. a monogram

References

• “monogram” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Polish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /mɔˈnɔ.ɡram/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɔɡram
• Syllabification: mo‧no‧gram

Noun

monogram m inan

1. monogram

Declension

Declension of monogram

	singular	plural
nominative	monogram	monogramy
genitive	monogramu	monogramów
dative	monogramowi	monogramom
accusative	monogram	monogramy
instrumental	monogramem	monogramami
locative	monogramie	monogramach
vocative	monogramie	monogramy

Further reading

• “monogram”, in Wielki słownik języka polskiego‎^[1] (in Polish), Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• “monogram”, in Polish dictionaries at PWN‎^[2] (in Polish)

Romanian

Noun

monogram n (plural monograme)

1. alternative form of monogramă

Declension

	singular		plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative-accusative	monogram	monogramul	monograme	monogramele
genitive-dative	monogram	monogramului	monograme	monogramelor
vocative	monogramule		monogramelor

Swedish

Etymology

From mono- +‎ gram.

Noun

monogram n

1. a monogram

Declension

Declension of monogram

		nominative	genitive
singular	indefinite	monogram	monograms
	definite	monogrammet	monogrammets
plural	indefinite	monogram	monograms
	definite	monogrammen	monogrammens

Derived terms

• kristusmonogram

References

• “monogram”, in Svenska Akademiens ordböcker [Dictionaries of the Swedish Academy] (in Swedish)