autograph

From Latin autographum, in turn from Ancient Greek αὐτόγραφον (autógraphon, “a writing in one’s own hand”). Equivalent to auto- +‎ -graph.

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈɔːtəɡɹɑːf/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈɔtəɡɹæf/, [ˈɔɾəɡɹæf]
• (cot–caught merger) IPA^(key): /ˈɑtəɡɹæf/, [ˈɑɾəɡɹæf]

autograph (plural autographs)

1. A person’s own handwriting, especially the signature of a famous or admired person.

   Some autograph-hunters were pestering the players after the game.

2. (by extension, colloquial) A person's signature used as a mark of formal approval.

   If you could just put your autograph on the ol’ contract, please…

   • 2021 July 1, Mike Hall, “HOW TO SPOT AUTOPEN AUTOGRAPHS”, in Just Collecting‎^[1]:

     For me, identifying an autograph is one of the most exciting aspects of collecting. I enjoy the detective work that comes with discerning a fake from the real deal, and subsequently valuing the item against other examples.

   • 2021 October 10, Susannah Cullinane, “‘Shoeless’ Joe Jackson signed baseball photo sells for record price at auction”, in CNN‎^[2]:

     “Based on the scarcity of signed images from this period, in general, coupled with the miniscule population of original Jackson autographs we cannot overstate the rarity of this offering,” it said.

3. A manuscript in the author’s handwriting.

• (person’s own handwriting): penmanship, handwriting, chirography
• (personal signature): signature, inscription (inexact)
• (manuscript in author’s hand): protograph, holograph, archetype, original

• allograph
• homograph
• isograph

autograph (not comparable)

1. Written in the author’s own handwriting.
2. (art) Made by the artist himself or herself; authentic.
   • 1979, Nancy L Pressly, The Fuseli Circle in Rome, Yale Center for British Art, p. 37:

     Schiff […] believes most of the drawings are autograph.

   • 1992, Malise Forbes Adam, Mary Mauchline, edited by Wendy Wassyng Roworth, Angelica Kauffman, Reaktion Books, published 1992, page 116:

     Not surprisingly, he attributed to Kauffman two important works that are no longer accepted as autograph.

autograph (third-person singular simple present autographs, present participle autographing, simple past and past participle autographed)

1. (transitive) To sign, or write one’s name or signature on a book, etc.
   • 2020 May 9, Paul Gittings, “Diego Maradona autographs shirt to help poor district of Buenos Aires”, in CNN‎^[3]:

     Diego Maradona is helping in the fight against coronavirus in his home city by autographing a replica of the Argentina jersey he wore in the country’s 1986 World Cup final triumph to raise money for an underprivileged community.

2. (transitive) To write something in one's own handwriting.