chirograph
nounEtymology From Middle French chirographe, from Ancient Greek χειρόγραφος (kheirógraphos, “written with the hand”) χείρ (kheír, “hand”) + γράφω (gráphō, “write”).
1
Law Historical A kind of medieval document written in duplicate (or more) on a single piece of parchment, then cut across a single word, so that each holder of a portion can prove it matches the others.
2
Catholicism, Christianity, Law A papal decree whose circulation, unlike an encyclical, is limited to the Roman curia.
3
Obsolete The last part of a fine of land; the "foot of the fine".
- a Record […]called the Chirograph, or Foot of the Fine1741, The Attorney's Practice in the Court of Common Pleas:
- Derived terms
- chirographary, chirography
- Related terms
- indenture