I. ˈa-nə-ˌgram noun
Etymology: probably from Middle French anagramme, from New Latin anagrammat-, anagramma, modification of Greek anagrammatismos, from anagrammatizein to transpose letters, from ana- + grammat-, gramma letter — more at gram
Date: 1589
1. : a word or phrase made by transposing the letters of another word or phrase
2. plural but singular in construction : a game in which words are formed by rearranging the letters of other words or by arranging letters taken (as from a stock of cards or blocks) at random
• an·a·gram·mat·ic ˌa-nə-grə-ˈma-tik also an·a·gram·mat·i·cal -ti-kəl adjective
• an·a·gram·mat·i·cal·ly -ti-k(ə-)lē adverb
II. transitive verb
( -grammed ; -gram·ming )
Date: 1630
1. : anagrammatize
2. : to rearrange (the letters of a text) in order to discover a hidden message