εἰκονογραφία

Forms

εἰκονογρᾰφῐ́ᾱ (eikonographíā) f (genitive εἰκονογρᾰφῐ́ᾱς); first declension^[1]

Etymology

It is formed from Ancient Greek εἰκονογράφος (eikonográphos, “portrait painter”) + -ία (-ía).^[1][2] The base is a compound of εἰκών (eikṓn, “image, likeness”) and γράφω (gráphō, “to draw, write”).^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Its first recorded use is in Strabo, for a sketch or description in words.^[4][5][6]

Semantic evolution

In Strabo and in a rhetorician's definition the word meant a written description or sketch, a vivid portrayal of an appearance.^[4][5] Bailly also glosses it as the drawing or painting of portraits.^[2] In the 5th century AD Christian authors used it for images and statues: an anonymous writer of Jerusalem speaks of worshipping God in holy images, while Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite still uses it for a description.^[5]

Medieval Greek used it for the making of images, in the debate over icons.^[7] Modern Greek εικονογραφία (ikonografía) is a learned word for the art of painting religious subjects, especially Byzantine and Orthodox icons, and for the body of such works.^[8] English iconography (1670s) comes through Medieval Latin iconographia.^[3]

Timeline

• 1st century BC to 1st century AD – Strabo uses it for a sketch or description.^[4][5]
• 5th century AD – A Christian writer of Jerusalem uses it for holy images.^[5]
• 5th century AD – Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite uses it for a description.^[5]
• 1100–1669 – Vernacular Greek uses it for the making of images.^[7]
• 1670s – English iconography is recorded, through Medieval Latin.^[3]
• Modern Greek – The learned word εικονογραφία (ikonografía) names religious painting, especially of icons.^[8]

Meanings

Noun

1. A sketch or description in words; a vivid portrayal.^[4][5][9]
2. The drawing or painting of portraits; a depiction.^[2][10]
3. (Christian) A sacred image or statue.^[5]

Related words

• εἰκών (eikṓn)
• εἰκονογράφος (eikonográphos)
• English iconography

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c Bailly, Anatole (2020), Dictionnaire grec-français, Bailly 2020 Hugo Chávez ed., ed. Gérard Gréco et al.
3. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
4. ^ a b c d Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert; Jones, Henry Stuart (1940), A Greek-English Lexicon, 9th ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
5. ^ a b c d e f g h Rodríguez Adrados, Francisco, et al., eds. (1980–), Diccionario Griego-Español, Madrid: CSIC, http://dge.cchs.csic.es/xdge
6. ^ Keersmaekers, Alek (2021–2025), GLAUx: The Greek Language Automated corpus, https://github.com/alekkeersmaekers/glaux
7. ^ a b Kriaras, Emmanuel, Επιτομή του Λεξικού της μεσαιωνικής ελληνικής δημώδους γραμματείας 1100–1669, Κέντρο Ελληνικής Γλώσσας, https://www.greek-language.gr
8. ^ a b Ινστιτούτο Νεοελληνικών Σπουδών (Ίδρυμα Μανόλη Τριανταφυλλίδη) (1998), Λεξικό της κοινής νεοελληνικής, Thessaloniki: Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
9. ^ Korinthios, J. (2025), Grande Dizionario Greco Classico: Greco–Italiano, digital ed., Milan: Hoepli
10. ^ Pape, Wilhelm (1914), Griechisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 3rd ed., rev. Max Sengebusch, Braunschweig: Vieweg