manuscript

American  

[man-yuh-skript] / ˈmæn jəˌskrɪpt /

noun

• manuscripts
  plural

1. the original text of an author's work, handwritten or now usually typed, that is submitted to a publisher.

2. any text not printed.

3. a book or document written before the invention of printing.

4. writing, as distinguished from print.

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adjective

1. handwritten or typed, not professionally printed.

manuscript British  

/ ˈmænjʊˌskrɪpt /

noun

1. a book or other document written by hand

2. the original handwritten or typed version of a book, article, etc, as submitted by an author for publication

3. 1. handwriting, as opposed to printing

   2. ( as modifier )

      a manuscript document

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• manuscriptal
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• manuscripts
  plural

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 It refers to old documents actually written by hand before books were made, but it can also refer to a writer's unpublished work whether it's handwritten or typed.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!

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

manuscript manuscripts

Many exist only in manuscript form, languishing in the vaults of some library or monastery.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026

Prosecutors say Ying brought a dummy manuscript back to the library after stealing the real one.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 9, 2026

A California man who swapped a library's 17th century Chinese manuscript for a fake was jailed for a year on Wednesday after admitting to stealing a major artwork.

From Barron's ● Jul. 8, 2026

"The results in this manuscript do not represent evidence for the presence of Majorana zero modes in the reported devices," they wrote.

From BBC ● Jun. 24, 2026

Before he presented the manuscript to Mr. Blunt, he took it to the East India Marine Society of Salem.

From "Carry On, Mr. Bowditch" by Jean Lee Latham

Speaking ahead of the auction, Will Passey, a specialist in the books and manuscripts department at Sotheby's, said the "moving" letter served as "a testament to the strength" of their friendship.

From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2026

His images conjure illuminated manuscripts, textiles, hieroglyphics, board games, musical scores, and tribal and children’s art, while echoing the structures of animals, crystals, plants and cells.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026

Between March and October 2023, Mikheil Z. went to the BnF 40 times to request access to manuscripts, mainly by Pushkin, claiming he was doing research on democracy in 19th-century Russian literature.

From Barron's ● Jun. 9, 2026

“None of the characters in an Allie Rowbottom book are well mothered,” said the novelist Chelsea Bieker, who workshops manuscripts with Rowbottom alongside Genevieve Hudson and T Kira Madden.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 1, 2026

Jay Cee handed me a pile of story manuscripts and spoke to me much more kindly.

From "The Bell Jar" by Sylvia Plath

Related Words

• article
• document
• text