This document provides a glossary of terms related to medieval manuscripts and paleography. It defines various script styles like majuscule, minuscule, half-uncial, and quarter uncials. It also defines elements of letterforms such as ascenders, descenders, ligatures, and serifs. Additionally, it explains paleography concepts like contractions, suspensions, national hands, and ductus which is the order strokes are made to form letters. The glossary serves as a reference for understanding medieval scribal practices and analyzing handwritten texts.

1. Glossary of Terms By: Jessi Curley Medieval Manuscripts:

2. Glossary of Medieval Paleography Terms: Ascenders: The part of a letter in a minuscule script which projects above the tops of other lower case letters, such as the upper part of l, h or b Cathach: Is Gaelic for Battler Contraction: The act of dropping letters out of a word; example: dominus = dns Descenders: The part of a letter in a minuscule script that extends below the base line of the other letters, as in the lower part of p or g Ductus: The order and direction in which the strokes making up a letter are executed

3. Half-uncial or semi-uncial: Script of the early medieval period, derived from late Roman, containing both minuscule and majuscule forms, this is the beginning form of modern cursive; approximately 5/16 of an inch Ligatures: A method of writing certain letter combinations in which two separate letters are joined into a new form. Example: Et is latin for “and,” it was combined into what is now known as the ampersand or & sign Majuscule: Any script composed entirely of capital letters Minuscule: Script composed of lowercase letters National Hand: A range of minuscule scripts developed in Europe during the 7th and 8th centuries, such as Insular Paleography: Study of the form of ancient handwriting Glossary of Medieval Paleography Terms:

4. Quarter Uncials: Formal personal handwriting script of the late Roman era; also called cursive half uncial Script: A generic form of handwriting used by a scribe Serif: The semi-structural details on the ends of some strokes that make up letters and symbols. Set Minuscule: Used in relation to insular minuscule to designate a formal variety of the script in which letters are carefully formed and well separated Suspension: The act of dropping the last letters and replacing them with a symbol Symbol: Often a 9 will be placed before the beginning of a word; examples: DS = Deus; XPS and HIS for Christ Uncial: Script derived from late Roman form, comprising rounded capitalized letters; approximately 5/8 of an inch Glossary of Medieval Paleography Terms: