Spencerian

¹ American  

[spen-seer-ee-uhn] / spɛnˈsɪər i ən /

adjective

1. of Herbert Spencer or his philosophy.

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noun

1. a follower of Herbert Spencer.

Spencerian ² American  

[spen-seer-ee-uhn] / spɛnˈsɪər i ən /

adjective

1. pertaining to or characteristic of a system of penmanship, characterized by clear, rounded letters slanting to the right.

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Etymology

Origin of Spencerian¹

First recorded in 1885–90; Spencer ² + -ian

Origin of Spencerian²

1875–80; P. R. Spencer ² + -ian

Example Sentences

And the 14-page handwritten document went on, in exquisite Spencerian script, to create what experts say are the crucial foundations of the modern game of “base ball.”

From Washington Post • May 18, 2018

Spencerian penmanship inscribed its elegant contours across the culture during its long reign among the ledgers and copybooks.

From Washington Times • Aug. 5, 2017

The first of these, Spencerian copperplate, was modeled on engraving and was thought—like so many things during that period—to engender moral uplift.

From Slate • Nov. 30, 2012

He also wrote out the name in the then-fashionable ornate style of lettering called Spencerian Script.

From New York Times • Jun. 13, 2011

It may be rash to suggest that this type of mind is well developed in philosophers of the Spencerian school, though it would be possible to adduce some evidence in support of such a suggestion.

From Science and Morals and Other Essays by Windle, Bertram Coghill Alan, Sir