Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

uncial

American  
[uhn-shee-uhl, -shuhl] / ˈʌn ʃi əl, -ʃəl /

adjective

  1. designating, written in, or pertaining to a form of majuscule writing having a curved or rounded shape and used chiefly in Greek and Latin manuscripts from about the 3rd to the 9th century a.d.


noun

  1. an uncial letter.

  2. uncial writing.

  3. a manuscript written in uncials.

uncial British  
/ ˈʌnsɪəl /

adjective

  1. of, relating to, or written in majuscule letters, as used in Greek and Latin manuscripts of the third to ninth centuries, that resemble modern capitals, but are characterized by much greater curvature and inclination and general inequality of height

  2. pertaining to an inch or an ounce

  3. pertaining to the duodecimal system

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

  1. an uncial letter or manuscript

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Origin of uncial

1640–50; < Late Latin unciālēs ( litterae ) (Jerome) uncial (letters), plural of Latin unciālis weighing one twelfth of a libra ( see uncia, -al 1); literal sense is unclear

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.

See Examples For:

And a word, written in black letter, uncial, Copperplate Script, Roman capitals, or even the “Star Wars” font by a professional, has all the virtues of those far more complicated handmade things.

From The New Yorker Jun. 5, 2015

But visitors are just as likely to be impressed by the book’s ravishing script, a bold fusion of Roman and Celtic lettering, known as English uncial, that jumps right off the page.

From New York Times Jun. 12, 2014

As evidence of the fragments' early origins, Thiede notes that the handwriting on the Magdalen Papyrus is in a style known as uncial, which began to die out in the middle of the 1st century.

From Time Magazine Archive

D. 13, the uncial eighth century palimpsest of the Gospels we have designated as Υ, contains Lessons from the Gospels, written by Ignatius, Metropolitan of Selymbria in Thrace, being the February portion of a Menaeum.

From A Plain Introduction to the Criticism of the New Testament, Vol. I. by Frederick Henry Ambrose Scrivener

It transports us back, at once, to the primitive age; and is found to be infinitely better deserving of attention than the witness of any extant uncial documents which can be produced.

From The Revision Revised by John William Burgon

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Join 12,000,000 vocabulary learners

Start learning new words today on VocabTrainer.
You'll remember them forever.

Start training