paleography

[pey-lee-og-ruh-fee, pal-ee-]

noun

1. ancient forms of writing, as in documents and inscriptions.

2. the study of ancient writing, including determination of date, decipherment, etc.

Other Word Forms

• paleographer noun
• paleographic adjective
• paleographical adjective
• paleographically adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of paleography¹

First recorded in 1810–20; paleo- + -graphy

Example Sentences

He edited a railway magazine and worked for the International Wool Secretariat, an industry group, while resuming his education through correspondence courses for a bachelor’s degree and master’s in bibliography and paleography.

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Both Dr. Tov and Dr. Segal said that scholars might come to consider the En-Gedi manuscript as a Dead Sea scroll, especially if the early date indicated by paleography is confirmed.

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This is a fascinating field, but the limits of paleography are also frustrating.

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All this is being verified, not only by textual critics, but by the more recent discoveries in the study of Christian paleography.

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King’s College London said it would abolish its chair in paleography, the study of ancient handwriting — the only such post in Britain.

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