Medieval Manuscripts Midterm

manuscript

any textual object that is written by hand

codex

a book composed of folded sheets sewn along one edge

support

the material that carries text and/or image

parchment

general term for animal skin

vellum

skin that comes from cows

bifolia

two folios, which make the equivalent of four pages

quire/gathering

a collection of at least two bifolia, nested and sewn together through the middle

prick (verb)

to puncture the parchment in designated locations

rule (verb)

to draw lines across the parchment

paleography

the study of the history of scripts and their decipherment

script

the handwriting used in manuscripts

aspect

the speed and care with which the letters were formed

ductus

the number of space-saving devices employed (notably, abbreviations)

majuscule

scripts that employ what can be thought of as “uppercase” letters and are of generally even height

minuscule

scripts with “lowercase,” with longer strokes (ascenders and descenders) that extend above and below the body of the letter (as in d and q) and touch on four lines.

colophon

An inscription recording information relating to the circumstances of the production of a manuscript or printed book (the place and/or people involved and, less frequently, the date)

textualis

type of script also known as gothic bookhand

codicology

The study of the physical structure of the book, which promotes a better understanding of its production and subsequent history

quire signature

ensures that each quire of a book is bound together in the correct order; found at the bottom of a folio and are either a Roman number or a letter of the alphabet, which run in numerical or alphabetical order

catchword

ensures that quires maintain their correct order

ruling

the lines that were drawn on to the page, on which the scribe wrote the text

collation

A description of a book's current and original structure, that is, the arrangement of its leaves and quires. This information may be conveyed in diagrammatic form (showing the quires and their composition) or in a prose shorthand.

liturgy

the public, organized worship of the church; comprised of the mass and the divine office services, each performed daily

the mass

a central worship service including the Eucharist and a priest at the altar

divine office

daily prayers recited at specific times of day

first sunday in advent

beginning of the liturgical year

feria

any day of the liturgical week

ordinary

The texts that  DO NOT vary depending on the day

proper

the texts that  DO vary depending on the day

canonical hours

the specific times of day that the divine office is recited

missal

Combines all the sung and spoken portions of the Mass into one volume

psalter

contains the text of the Old Testament Book of Psalms, divided up into groups of Psalms

breviary

Combines all the sung and spoken portions of the Divine Office into one volume.