-graphy

comb. form forming nouns denoting:
1 a descriptive science (bibliography; geography).
2 a technique of producing images (photography; radiography).
3 a style or method of writing, drawing, etc. (calligraphy).
Etymology: from or after F or G -graphie f. L -graphia f. Gk -graphia writing

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-graphy

(grəfɪ)

= F., G. -graphie, Sp. -grafiacua, It. -grafia, L. -graphia, repr. Gr. -γραϕία in ns. adapted from Gr. or formed on Gr. types. The Gr. ns. in -γραϕία are abstract nouns of action or function derived from the ns. (or adjs.) in -γράϕος (see -graph, -grapher). Many of these have been adapted in Eng. (usually through the medium of other langs.), and many other compounds of Gr. elements on the analogy of them have been formed in Eng., or adapted from Fr. or mod.Lat. Some of the words with this ending denote processes or styles of writing, drawing, or graphic representation, as brachygraphy, calligraphy, stenography, cryptography, lithography, photography. More commonly they are names of descriptive sciences, as geography, bibliography (cf. the Gr. βιβλιογραϕία, which means the writing of books), astrography, cometography, petrography, selenography, etc. Hybrid formations with this ending are rare, stratigraphy being almost the only example that has obtained general currency. All ns. in -graphy have actual or potential correlative agent-nouns in -grapher and adjs. in -graphic, -graphical.