noun / adjective
minuscule
Lowercase lettering.
The manuscript used minuscule letters throughout.
Etymology
The Latin adjective means somewhat small. In lettering, minuscule distinguishes the smaller letterforms from capitals, leading to its technical meaning lowercase.
More examples
- The scribe copied the text in a rounded minuscule.
- A minuscule a differs from its capital form.
- The exhibit compared several medieval minuscules.
Forms
minuscule · minuscules
Similar words
- lowercase
- Lowercase is the everyday term for small letters; minuscule also names historical scripts.
- majuscule
- Majuscule refers to capital or large-letter writing, in contrast with minuscule.