longhand

American  

[lawng-hand, long-] / ˈlɔŋˌhænd, ˈlɒŋ- /

noun

1. writing of the ordinary kind, in which words are written out in full (shorthand ).

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adjective

1. using longhand.

   longhand writing.

2. written in longhand.

   a longhand account of the meeting.

longhand British  

/ ˈlɒŋˌhænd /

noun

1. ordinary handwriting, in which letters, words, etc, are set down in full, as opposed to shorthand or to typing

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Etymology

Origin of longhand

First recorded in 1660–70; long ¹ + hand

Example Sentences

The Times asked readers for samples of their cursive and to talk about their relationship with old-fashioned, longhand writing with its loops, curls and dips.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 8, 2024

She started making notes - writing longhand, in pencil - in 1999.

From BBC • Nov. 5, 2023

During moments of rest, he leafed through a diary, written longhand by a Russian soldier: “I’ve been at war for four weeks already and I miss my mom,” Courier read.

From Seattle Times • Sep. 20, 2023

Some city ordinances weren’t even indexed, forcing Birch and Karabian to leaf through the longhand lawbooks page by page, wearing special archival gloves.

From Slate • Aug. 31, 2023

I imagined myself writing longhand, an old-fashioned dip pen stabbing furiously into a bottle of black ink and then scratching with amazing precision across sheets of white paper.

From "Bad Boy" by Walter Dean Myers

Related Words

• calligraphy
• manuscript
• scrawl
• script
• writing