uncial

Ancient rounded script

Uncial describes a style of rounded, flowing letterforms used in Greek and Latin manuscripts from roughly the 4th to 8th centuries.

The letters are majuscules—large, uppercase-like forms—but with curved strokes that made them faster to write than angular capitals.

As a noun, an uncial is a letter in this style or a manuscript written in it: a beautifully preserved uncial from the 6th century.

manuscript

codex

Ancient bound manuscript

  • parchmentTreated hide for manuscripts
  • vellumPrepared calfskin for writing
  • papyrusAncient plant-derived writing material

palimpsest · folio · scriptorium · scribe · illuminated · gospel book · lectionary · psalter · Book of Kells · Lindisfarne Gospels

script

majuscule

Uppercase letter form

letterform · ascender · descender · ligature · serif · stroke · scriptio continua · abbreviation · colophon

calligraphy

nib

Pen's writing tip

  • quillFeather used for writing
  • reed penCut hollow stem for writing
  • inkWriting fluid

lettering · calligrapher · exemplar · practice sheet · revival · spacing · rhythm · flourish

Categories
Opposites
script size and form

uncialminuscule

Extremely small in size

lowercase · cursive · majuscule

historical script period

uncialcursive

Joined handwriting style

Gothic script · blackletter · italic

Phrases
Family

inch, ounce

Familiarity
Top 1,000,000
Profile
Used worldwide · Timeless · Concrete · Rated G