manuscript
Americannoun
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the original text of an author's work, handwritten or now usually typed, that is submitted to a publisher.
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any text not printed.
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a book or document written before the invention of printing.
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writing, as distinguished from print.
adjective
noun
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a book or other document written by hand
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the original handwritten or typed version of a book, article, etc, as submitted by an author for publication
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handwriting, as opposed to printing
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( as modifier )
a manuscript document
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Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of manuscript
1590–1600; < Medieval Latin manūscrīptus written by hand, equivalent to Latin manū by hand (ablative of manus ) + scrīptus written; see script
Explanation
A manuscript is a handwritten work. It's still a manuscript if it's typed — if a publisher asks for your manuscript, don't send her something scrawled on notebook paper! The noun manuscript evolved from the Latin manu scriptus, meaning “written by hand.” Manu is “hand” and scriptus is “to write." It refers to old documents actually written by hand before books were made, but it can also refer to a writer's unpublished work whether it's handwritten or typed. Samuel Johnson said, “Your manuscript is both good and original, but the part that is good is not original and the part that is original is not good.” Harrumph!
Vocabulary lists containing manuscript
The Write Stuff: Scrib, Script
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The Renaissance and Early Modern European History - Introductory
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Body Language: Man ("Hand")
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Continuing the theme, she added elements of New Year's Day, a song about holding on to memories, and The Manuscript, whose story of heartbreak became a metaphor for the tour coming to an end.
From BBC • Dec. 9, 2024
In the Trinity Manuscript, Milton borrowed source material from the Chronicles to plan a series of proposed historical dramas.
From Science Daily • May 15, 2024
The prize, which is administered annually through Yale University’s Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library, is bestowed completely anonymously.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 2, 2024
But Nehemia Gordon, executive director of the Institute for Hebrew Bible Manuscript Research in Bedford, Texas, said in a telephone interview that the Codex Sassoon was actually “invaluable.”
From Washington Times • May 17, 2023
On the way home, I carried Aaron Copland’s Autobiography: Manuscript Edition underneath Joe Pepitone’s jacket so that nothing would happen to it.
From "Okay for Now" by Gary D. Schmidt
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
