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manuscript

MAN-yuh-skript /ˈmæn.jə.skrɪpt/

nounB2GRESATTOEFL

academicliterary

A book, document, or piece of music written by hand rather than typed or printed, or an author's unpublished work.

In historical contexts, a manuscript is a hand-copied book from before the invention of the printing press. In modern publishing, it refers to the typed draft of an author's work before it is printed.

The story behind the word. Before Johannes Gutenberg invented the printing press in the 15th century, every single book had to be written out by hand. The Romans called this 'manu scriptus'—literally, 'written by hand'. Monks in medieval scriptoriums spent their entire lives copying these manuscripts.

Word relationships

draft: A draft is a preliminary version of a piece of writing, while a manuscript can refer to a finished, beautifully executed hand-written book.
text: Text is a general term for any written words, whereas manuscript specifically highlights the hand-written or pre-printed nature of the document.

print: A print is a mechanically reproduced copy of a text, whereas a manuscript is written or typed directly by hand.

Commonly confused with

typescript: A typescript is specifically typed on a typewriter or computer, while a manuscript historically meant written strictly by hand (though modern publishers use 'manuscript' for both).

Word family

manuscripts (noun): Plural form of manuscript, referring to multiple hand-written documents.

Collocations

illuminated manuscript
ancient manuscript
original manuscript

Example sentences

"The researcher spent months deciphering the faded handwriting of the medieval manuscript." An academic article about medieval history.

Memory hook

Think of 'manual' (done by hand) and 'script' (writing). A manuscript is manual writing. Manuscript is manual script.

When not to use

Do not use manuscript to describe a finished, printed book that you bought at a bookstore; it must be the hand-written or pre-publication version.

Fun facts

Many medieval manuscripts feature 'marginalia'—doodles and complaints written in the margins by bored monks, such as 'The ink is thin' or 'Thank God it will soon be dark'.