chirograph

noun

1. 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.

   historical

2. A papal decree whose circulation, unlike an encyclical, is limited to the Roman curia.

3. The last part of a fine of land; the "foot of the fine".

   obsolete

   a Record […]called the Chirograph, or Foot of the Fine

Where it comes from

From Middle French chirographe, from Ancient Greek χειρόγραφος (kheirógraphos, “written with the hand”) χείρ (kheír, “hand”) + γράφω (gráphō, “write”).

Adapted from the Wiktionary entry chirograph (CC BY-SA 4.0).

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