manuscript

C1 Topic:Literature & Storytelling

US /ˈmæn.jəˌskɹɪpt/ See IPA manual

Freq #9518

Meanings

1

noun
A written or typed version of a book or article before it is published.

Usage: In publishing, manuscript can mean an author's unpublished text even when it is typed or digital. A historical manuscript may instead be a document written by hand.

The editor returned the manuscript with suggestions for a clearer opening chapter.

She sent her manuscript to several publishers last month.
2

noun
An old document or book written by hand.

The library keeps a medieval manuscript in a glass case.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

2 noun · an old document or book... holograph

More autographhandwrithandwriting

Word family

Forms manuscripts

Derived forms manuscriptalmanuscription

Related forms script typescript

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

ancient manuscript
a handwritten document surviving from a very distant period of history

Adjective + noun

Simplified etymology

Manuscript entered English in the late 16th century and ultimately contains Latin manus ‘hand’. It originally denotes something written by hand.

Etymology

From Medieval Latin forms combining manū, by hand, with scrīptus, written, a form of scrībere. The English publishing sense extends beyond handwriting.

manūscrīptum la-med scribere Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Literature & Storytelling Media & Publishing

External links

# manuscript

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C1
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /ˈmæn.jəˌskɹɪpt/
**Frequency rank:** 9518

## Meanings
1. A written or typed version of a book or article before it is published.
2. An old document or book written by hand.

## Usage Notes
- A written or typed version of a book or article before it is published.: In publishing, manuscript can mean an author's unpublished text even when it is typed or digital. A historical manuscript may instead be a document written by hand.

## Examples
- The editor returned the manuscript with suggestions for a clearer opening chapter.
- She sent her manuscript to several publishers last month.
- The library keeps a medieval manuscript in a glass case.

## Synonyms
- autograph
- handwrit
- handwriting

## Derived Forms
- manuscriptal
- manuscription

## Related Forms
- script
- typescript

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: manūscrīptum
- Root: scribere - to write

## Etymology
From Medieval Latin forms combining manū, by hand, with scrīptus, written, a form of scrībere. The English publishing sense extends beyond handwriting.

## AI Etymology
Manuscript comes from Medieval Latin manūscrīptum (“writing by hand”), a calque of Germanic origin: compare Middle Low German hantschrift (“manuscript, document”), Middle Dutch hantscrift (“manuscript”) (c. 1451), Old High German hantgiskrīb (“handwriting, document, manuscript”), Middle High German hantschrift, hantgeschrift (“manuscript”) (c. 1450), Old English handġewrit (“what is written by hand, deed, contract, manuscript”) (before 1150), Old Norse handrit (“manuscript”) (before 1300). Not found in Classical Latin. The historical chain includes manūscrīptum (Medieval Latin). The surrounding word family includes derived forms such as manuscriptal and manuscription and related forms such as script and typescript. In present use it covers a written or typed version of a book or article before it is published and an old document or book written by hand.

## Topics
- Literature & Storytelling
- Media & Publishing

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