paleography
Americannoun
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ancient forms of writing, as in documents and inscriptions.
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the study of ancient writing, including determination of date, decipherment, etc.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of paleography
Explanation
Are you fascinated with hieroglyphs, cuneiform, and other ancient forms of writing? You might want to take a class in paleography, the study of historical manuscripts and writing systems. Experts in paleography have learned to decipher archaic systems of writing, going all the way back to clay tablets marked with Sumerian cuneiform and Aramaic letters written on papyrus. The languages studied through paleography are ancient, and it takes time to puzzle them out and put them in a historical context so that their content can be understood. The Greek roots of paleography are palaiós, "old," and graphein, "to write."
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.
He demonstrated his ability to accurately transcribe a barely-legible original manuscript of Orwell’s dystopian novel “1984” by disporting his skills in paleography, the study of ancient and antiquated writing systems.
From New York Times • Sep. 15, 2022
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.
From New York Times • Sep. 15, 2022
This is a fascinating field, but the limits of paleography are also frustrating.
From Forbes • Feb. 28, 2012
King’s College London said it would abolish its chair in paleography, the study of ancient handwriting — the only such post in Britain.
From New York Times • Oct. 16, 2010
The suggestions on this point are presented here more as proper subjects of investigation by students of American paleography than as fixed conclusions of the writer.
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.
