incunabula

American  

[in-kyoo-nab-yuh-luh, ing-] / ˌɪn kyʊˈnæb yə lə, ˌɪŋ- /

plural noun

singular

incunabulum

1. extant copies of books produced in the earliest stages (before 1501) of printing from movable type.

2. the earliest stages or first traces of anything.

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incunabula British  

/ ˌɪnkjʊˈnæbjʊlə /

plural noun

1. any book printed before 1501

2. the infancy or earliest stages of something; beginnings

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Other Word Forms

• incunabular adjective
• postincunabula adjective

Etymology

Origin of incunabula

First recorded in 1815–25; from Latin: “straps holding a baby in a cradle, earliest home, birthplace,” probably equivalent to unattested *incūnā(re) “to place in a cradle” ( in- in- ² + unattested -cūnāre, verbal derivative of cūnae “cradle”) + -bula, plural of -bulum suffix of instrument; incunabula def. 1 as translation of German Wiegendrucke

Explanation

The first books and pamphlets that were produced in the very earliest days of the printing press are referred to as incunabula. All printed reading materials made before about 1501 are collectively known as incunabula. These broadsheets, pamphlets, and books are extremely rare, as the printing press wasn't invented until about 1440. By the beginning of the 16th century, printing had begun to spread throughout Europe, and printed books were more and more common. Nineteenth-century historians chose the Latin word incunabula, "cradle or birthplace," to name these earliest items printed during the "birth" of mechanized printing. The term is also used for early examples of any type of art or literature.

Example Sentences

There are the incunabula — very early books, printed before 1500 — and, in a class by itself, the Kelmscott Chaucer, after the Gutenberg Bible probably the most famous feat of book printing ever.

From New York Times • Mar. 17, 2022

Collectors’ interest will be piqued by the incunabula – books printed before 1501 – which is described as one of the most important collections ever assembled.

From The Guardian • Jun. 3, 2017

But too often Mr. Foy’s prose is portentous and clumsy: “The incunabula of travel and boat repair swirl in my brain.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 24, 2016

We are still at the incunabula, the infant stage of the great internet upheaval.

From BBC • Oct. 11, 2013

The cases also contained a variety of popular chess books and some incunabula printed in German.

From "Endgame" by Frank Brady