Basic Details
Word: Manuscript
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: A book or document written by hand, especially an old one; also an author's text before it is printed.
Synonyms: document, handwritten text, draft
Word origin: Comes from Latin manu scriptus, 'written by hand'.
How to Spell Manuscript
Syllables: man - u - script
Tricky part: The vowel after man is u, not a or e, and the word ends in script, with a t.
Watch out for: manuskript, menuscript, manuscrip
Memory tip: Manu means hand, as in manual work, and script means writing: a manuscript is writing done by hand.
Usage Examples
Example 1: The library in Thanjavur keeps thousands of palm-leaf manuscripts.
Example 2: The author sent her manuscript to three publishers.
Example 3: Scholars used gloves to turn the pages of the old manuscript.
Fun Fact
Before printing reached India, every book was a manuscript, often written on palm leaves or birch bark, and copied again by hand when it began to wear out.
Practise the CREST Way
Spell-o-Spell
Only one word in the list is spelt correctly. Choose the meaning of that word.
1. parchmant 2. caligraphy 3. archieve 4. manuscript
a) a collection of historical records
b) a book or document written by hand
c) the art of beautiful handwriting
d) writing material made from animal skin
Show answer
b) a book or document written by hand. The faults are a single l in calligraphy, ant instead of ment in parchment and an extra e in archive; manuscript is spelt right.
Word Cookie
Fill in the missing letters:
man_scr_pt
a) u, e
b) a, i
c) u, i
d) e, i
Show answer
c) u, i. Manu, meaning hand, gives the u, and script gives the i.
Mingle-Mangle
Unjumble the word in the sentence and choose it:
Scholars found a rcpmasunit of an old Tamil poem in a temple storeroom.
a) manuscript
b) subscript
c) postscript
d) transcript
Show answer
a) manuscript. All four end in script, but only manuscript uses m, a, n and u.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. A writer's manuscript is usually sent to ____ before it becomes a book.
a) a publisher
b) a dentist
c) a farmer
d) a mechanic
Show answer
a) a publisher
2. What does the manu part of manuscript mean?
a) many
b) hand
c) new
d) man
Show answer
b) hand
