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-gram

Also ‑gramme.

Something written or recorded in a particular way.

Greek gramma, something written, from graphein, to write.

A few examples came into English through French and retained the French spelling ‑gramme. Modern usage prefers ‑gram and this is now standard in scientific terminology and US English. The only common word in British English that retains the longer form is programme, and not even then in computing.

In many cases, a word in ‑graph (see ‑graphy) refers to an instrument that produces a written record described by ‑gram—a cardiogram is produced by a cardiograph, and a seismogram by a seismograph. A telegram is a message sent by telegraph. In other cases, they are different names for the same thing, as pictogram or pictograph, a pictorial symbol for a word or phrase. More rarely, the members of a pair have different senses: a hologram is a three-dimensional image formed using laser light but a holograph is something hand written by its author; a monogram is a motif formed by intertwined letters, while a monograph is a detailed written study on a single specialized topic.

For examples in various senses, see the list below.

A number of words have been invented on the model of telegram for greetings messages delivered by a person, often in costume, that are intended to surprise or embarrass the recipient; examples are kissogram, gorillagram, and strippergram.

Words in ‑gram for weights or masses, such as kilogram, are compounds of the unit of mass, gram, with a prefix indicating a multiple (see the entry Number words). These derive from the Latin gramma, weight.

Examples of words in -gram

Terms for word skills, or manipulating text or language, or symbols:

anagram

a word formed from another by rearranging its letters

Greek ana, up

cryptogram

a text written in a code or cipher

Greek kruptos, hidden

epigram

a brief and pointed witty saying

Greek epi, upon, near to

lipogram

a composition from which the writer deliberately omits a letter of the alphabet

Greek leipein, to leave out

monogram

a motif formed by intertwined letterspictogram, a pictorial symbol for a word or phrase, as in early forms of writing

Latin pict‑, painted, from the verb pingere, to paint

Types of visual representation:

diagram

a simplified graphical representation

Latin diagramma, from Greek diagraphein, to mark out by lines

histogram

a diagram formed from rectangles used in statistics

Greek histos, mask or web

hologram

a three-dimensional image formed using laser light

Greek holos, whole

parallelogram

a four-sided plane figure with opposite sides parallel

Greek parallēlos, alongside another

pentagram

a five-pointed star, often a mystical or magical symbol

Greek pente, five

stereogram

an image that gives a three-dimensional representation of an object, or a stereo radiogram

Greek stereos, solid

Words for the written results of tests or investigations:

audiogram

a written record of a test of a person's hearing

Latin audire, hear

cardiogram

a record of muscle activity within the heart produced by a cardiograph

Greek cardia, heart

mammogram

an image of the breast formed using X-rays

Latin mamma, breast

seismogram

a record of earthquakes produced by a seismograph

Greek seismos, earthquake

spectrogram

a record of a spectrum

Latin specere, to look

Copyright © Michael Quinion 2008–. All rights reserved. Your comments are very welcome.