cacography
PRONUNCIATION:
(kuh-KOG-ruh-fee) 
MEANING:
noun:1. Bad handwriting.
2. Incorrect spelling.
ETYMOLOGY:
From caco- (bad), from Greek kakos (bad) + -graphy (writing). Caco is ultimately from the Indo-European root kakka-/kaka- (to defecate) which also gave us poppycock, cacophony, and cucking stool. Opposites of today's word are calligraphy (beautiful handwriting) and orthography (correct spelling). A related word is cacology.USAGE:
"Before I could think of quitting, my boss enlightened me on the virtues of my handwriting, which was sheer cacography: 'Your writing is in direct competition with the Harappan script that still had the hope of being deciphered in the distant future.'"Vikram Kumar; Positions Very Vacant; The Hindustan Times (New Delhi, India); Apr 15, 2008.
The emails of a former sub-Dean could only be described as cacography.
2 comments:
LOL! (about the subdean, esp. if it's the one I'm thinking of!)
That is a GREAT word!
but an email by its nature cannot be cacography. It's keyboarded, not inscribed. and surely it's spellchecked????
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