uncial

Meanings

Adjective

• Of or relating to an ounce, or an inch, especially to letters printed an inch high.
• Of or relating to a majuscule style of writing with unjoined, rounded letters, originally used in the 4th–9th centuries.

Noun

• A style of writing using uncial letters.
• A letter in this style.
• A manuscript in this style.

Origin

• Attested 1650, from Latin uncia ("a twelfth part, ounce, inch").
• Attested 1712, from Late Latin unciales, unciales litterae (Jerome), plural of uncialis, from uncia. The literal meaning is unclear: some references indicate "inch-high letters", but see “Uncial script” in Wikipedia.