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
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 It refers to old documents actually written by hand before books were made, but it can also refer to a writer's unpublished work whether it's handwritten or typed.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.
The book’s editor, Gina Iaquinta, doesn’t speak Spanish, but when she read the manuscript for the first time, she says the writing made her feel like she did.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 9, 2026
Nikki wants to write full-time and believes that a lack of love in her life is stifling her manuscript.
From Salon • Jun. 4, 2026
The newly identified manuscript was discovered by medieval manuscript experts Dr. Elisabetta Magnanti and Dr. Mark Faulkner of Trinity College Dublin.
From Science Daily • May 17, 2026
Scholars date the manuscript to between 800 and 830, making it the third oldest surviving copy of the poem ever identified.
From Science Daily • May 17, 2026
I kept my hunch a secret but had the manuscript authenticated by an expert.
From "Book Scavenger" by Jennifer Chambliss Bertman
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.
