Etymologically
Log in

manuscript

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 17 October 2026 at 15:35. This address is a permanent link to this version.
Changes in this edit History

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈmæn.jə.skrɪpt/[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Medieval Latin manūscrīptum (“document written by hand”),[2][3][4] from Latin manū scrīptus (“written by hand”), from manū, the ablative of manus (“hand”), and scrīptus, the past participle of scrībō (“to write”) (see scribe).[2][3][5][4][6] Barnhart notes that Latin already had a word for a manuscript, so the Medieval Latin word may be a loan translation of a Greek word for a handwritten document.[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

The noun: 1571 in Merriam-Webster, 1600 in Barnhart and the OED, about 1600 in Etymonline.[4][2][7][3] The adjective, written by hand, is from 1597.[7][3]

Semantic evolution

It first meant especially a book written before printing came into general use.[7] An author's unprinted work, the copy sent to a printer, is from 1607,[7] figurative uses from 1622,[7] and handwriting in general from 1875.[7] The abbreviation is MS, plural MSS.[3]

Timeline

  • 1571 – a manuscript.[4]
  • 1597 – handwritten (adjective).[7]
  • 1600 – a book written before printing.[7][2]
  • 1607 – an author's copy.[7]
  • 1875 – handwriting in general.[7]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. A book or document written by hand, especially one made before printing.
  2. An author's original handwritten or typed copy of a work, submitted for publication.
  3. Handwriting, as opposed to print.

Adjective

  1. Written by hand; not printed.

Word family

  • manuscriptal

References

  1. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
  2. ^ a b c d e Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
  3. ^ a b c d e Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ a b c d Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  5. ^ Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  6. ^ Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press