Meanings
manuscript1
adjectivemanuscript (not comparable)
- not comparableHandwritten, or by extension manually typewritten, as opposed to being mechanically reproduced.
manuscript2
nounmanuscript (plural manuscripts)
plural manuscripts · alternative MS · alternative ms · alternative MS. · alternative ms.
- A book, composition or any other document, written by hand (or manually typewritten), not mechanically reproduced.
We read in history, that the beauty of an ancient manuscript tempted King Alfred, when a boy at his mother's knee, to learn the letters of the Saxon tongue.
1845, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, “Anglo-Saxon Language and Poetry”, in The Poets and Poetry of Europe. […], Philadelphia, Pa.: Carey and Hart, […], →OCLC, page 1, column 13 more examples
In the old days, to my commonplace and unobserving mind, he gave no evidences of genius whatsoever. He never read me any of his manuscripts, […], and therefore my lack of detection of his promise may in some degree be pardoned.
1897 December (indicated as 1898), Winston Churchill, chapter I, in The Celebrity: An Episode, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., Ltd., →OCLCThe ability of a segment of a glass sphere to magnify whatever is placed before it was known around the year 1000, when the spherical segment was called a reading stone,[…]. Scribes, illuminators, and scholars held such stones directly over manuscript pages as an aid in seeing what was being written, drawn, or read.
2013 September-October, Henry Petroski, “The Evolution of Eyeglasses”, in American ScientistThe [Isaac] Newton that emerges from the [unpublished] manuscripts is far from the popular image of a rational practitioner of cold and pure reason. The architect of modern science was himself not very modern. He was obsessed with alchemy.
2014 June 21, “Magician’s brain”, in The Economist, volume 411, number 8892, London: The Economist Group, →ISSN, →OCLC - A single, original copy of a book, article, composition etc, written by hand or even printed, submitted as original for (copy-editing and) reproductive publication.
Synonyms & antonyms
Similar
nounthe form of a literary work submitted for publication
Similar
Broader
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
manuscript · adjective
- Medieval Latinmanūscrīptus
- Englishmanuscript
1597, from Medieval Latin manūscrīptus, a calque of Germanic origin, equivalent to Latin manū (ablative of manus (“hand”)) + Latin scrīptus (past participle of scribere (“to write”)). Not found in Classical Latin.
More words from Medieval Latin
Full word history & related roots →manuscript · noun
- Medieval Latinmanūscrīptum“writing by hand”
- Englishmanuscript
From Medieval Latin manūscrīptum (“writing by hand”), a calque of Germanic origin: compare Middle Low German hantschrift (“manuscript, document”), Middle Dutch hantscrift (“manuscript”) (c. 1451), Old High German hantgiskrīb (“handwriting, document, manuscript”), Middle High German hantschrift, hantgeschrift (“manuscript”) (c. 1450), Old English handġewrit (“what is written by hand, deed, contract, manuscript”) (before 1150), Old Norse handrit (“manuscript”) (before 1300). Not found in Classical Latin.
More words from Medieval Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Afrikaans manuskrip
- manuskripbook, composition or any other document, written by hand
Arabic مَخْطُوطَة, مَخْطُوطَة
- مَخْطُوطَة (maḵṭūṭa)handwritten, or by extension typewritten
- مَخْطُوطَة (maḵṭūṭa)book, composition or any other document, written by hand
- مَخْطُوط (maḵṭūṭ)book, composition or any other document, written by hand
Bengali পাণ্ডুলিপি
- পাণ্ডুলিপি (panḍulipi)book, composition or any other document, written by hand
Bulgarian ръкопи́сен, ръкопи́с
- ръкопи́сен (răkopísen)handwritten, or by extension typewritten
- ръкопи́с (răkopís)book, composition or any other document, written by hand
- ръкопис (răkopis)book, article etc, submitted for reproductive publication
Catalan manuscrit, manuscrit
- manuscrithandwritten, or by extension typewritten
- manuscritbook, composition or any other document, written by hand
- manuscritbook, article etc, submitted for reproductive publication
- originalbook, article etc, submitted for reproductive publication
Chinese Mandarin 手寫的 /手写的, 手稿
- 手寫的 /手写的 (shǒuxiě de)handwritten, or by extension typewritten
- 手稿 (shǒugǎo)book, composition or any other document, written by hand
- 手抄本 (shǒuchāoběn)book, composition or any other document, written by hand
- 原稿 (yuángǎo)book, composition or any other document, written by hand
- 原稿 (yuángǎo)book, article etc, submitted for reproductive publication
- 草稿 (cǎogǎo)book, article etc, submitted for reproductive publication
Czech rukopis, rukopis
- rukopisbook, composition or any other document, written by hand
- rukopisbook, article etc, submitted for reproductive publication
Danish håndskrift, manuskript
- håndskriftbook, composition or any other document, written by hand
- manuskriptbook, composition or any other document, written by hand
- manuskriptbook, article etc, submitted for reproductive publication
Dutch handgeschreven, geschreven
- handgeschrevenhandwritten, or by extension typewritten
- geschrevenhandwritten, or by extension typewritten
- manuscriptbook, composition or any other document, written by hand
- handschriftbook, composition or any other document, written by hand
- manuscriptbook, article etc, submitted for reproductive publication
- kopijbook, article etc, submitted for reproductive publication
Esperanto manuskripto, manskribaĵo
- manuskriptobook, composition or any other document, written by hand
- manskribaĵobook, composition or any other document, written by hand
- manuskriptobook, article etc, submitted for reproductive publication
Estonian käsikiri
- käsikiribook, composition or any other document, written by hand
Finnish käsin kirjoitettu, käsikirjoitus
- käsin kirjoitettuhandwritten, or by extension typewritten
- käsikirjoitusbook, composition or any other document, written by hand
- käsikirjoitusbook, article etc, submitted for reproductive publication
French manuscrit, manuscrit
- manuscrithandwritten, or by extension typewritten
- manuscritbook, composition or any other document, written by hand
- manuscritbook, article etc, submitted for reproductive publication
German Handschrift, Manuskript
- Handschrifthandwritten, or by extension typewritten
- Manuskripthandwritten, or by extension typewritten
- Handschriftbook, composition or any other document, written by hand
Greek χειρόγραφο, χειρόγραφο
- χειρόγραφο (cheirógrafo)handwritten, or by extension typewritten
- χειρόγραφο (cheirógrafo)book, composition or any other document, written by hand
- χειρόγραφο (cheirógrafo)book, article etc, submitted for reproductive publication
Hebrew כְּתַב יָד
- כְּתַב יָד (ktav yad)book, composition or any other document, written by hand
Hindi हस्तलिपि, पांडुलिपि
- हस्तलिपि (hastalipi)handwritten, or by extension typewritten
- पांडुलिपि (pāṇḍulipi)book, composition or any other document, written by hand
Hungarian kézirat, kézirat
- kéziratbook, composition or any other document, written by hand
- kéziratbook, article etc, submitted for reproductive publication
Indonesian naskah
- naskahbook, composition or any other document, written by hand
Irish lámhscríbhinn
- lámhscríbhinnbook, composition or any other document, written by hand
Italian manoscritto, manoscritto
- manoscrittohandwritten, or by extension typewritten
- manoscrittobook, composition or any other document, written by hand
- manoscrittobook, article etc, submitted for reproductive publication
Japanese 手書きの, 手書き原稿
- 手書きの (tegaki no)handwritten, or by extension typewritten
- 手書き原稿 (tegaki-genkō)book, composition or any other document, written by hand
- 写本 (shahon)book, composition or any other document, written by hand
- 手写本 (shushabon)book, composition or any other document, written by hand
- マニュスクリプト (manyusukuriputo)book, composition or any other document, written by hand
- 原稿 (genkō)book, article etc, submitted for reproductive publication
- 草稿 (sōkō)book, article etc, submitted for reproductive publication
- 稿本 (kōhon)book, article etc, submitted for reproductive publication
- 稿 (kō)book, article etc, submitted for reproductive publication
- 記録 (kiroku)book, article etc, submitted for reproductive publication
Korean 사본
- 사본 (sabon)book, composition or any other document, written by hand
Latvian rokraksts, manuskripts
- rokrakstsbook, composition or any other document, written by hand
- manuskriptsbook, composition or any other document, written by hand
- rokrakstsbook, article etc, submitted for reproductive publication
- manuskriptsbook, article etc, submitted for reproductive publication
Lithuanian rankraštis, manuskriptas
- rankraštisbook, composition or any other document, written by hand
- manuskriptasbook, composition or any other document, written by hand
Malay manuskrip, naskhah
- manuskriphandwritten, or by extension typewritten
- naskhahbook, composition or any other document, written by hand
Norwegian manuskript, manuskript
- manuskriptbook, composition or any other document, written by hand
- manuskriptbook, article etc, submitted for reproductive publication
Persian دستنوشته, دستنویس
- دستنوشته (dast-nevešte)handwritten, or by extension typewritten
- دستنویس (dast-nevis)handwritten, or by extension typewritten
- نسخه خطی (nosxe xatti)handwritten, or by extension typewritten
- مخطوطه (maxtute)handwritten, or by extension typewritten
- دستنوشته (dast-nevešte)book, composition or any other document, written by hand
- نسخه خطی (nosxe-ye xatti)book, composition or any other document, written by hand
Polish odręczny, rękopis
- odręcznyhandwritten, or by extension typewritten
- rękopishandwritten, or by extension typewritten
- rękopisbook, composition or any other document, written by hand
- manuskryptbook, composition or any other document, written by hand
- maszynopisbook, article etc, submitted for reproductive publication
- rękopisbook, article etc, submitted for reproductive publication
Portuguese manuscrito, manuscrito
- manuscritohandwritten, or by extension typewritten
- manuscritobook, composition or any other document, written by hand
- manuscritobook, article etc, submitted for reproductive publication
Romanian manuscris
- manuscrisbook, composition or any other document, written by hand
Russian рукопи́сный, ру́копись
- рукопи́сный (rukopísnyj)handwritten, or by extension typewritten
- ру́копись (rúkopisʹ)book, composition or any other document, written by hand
- манускри́пт (manuskrípt)book, composition or any other document, written by hand
- ру́копись (rúkopisʹ)book, article etc, submitted for reproductive publication
- манускри́пт (manuskrípt)book, article etc, submitted for reproductive publication
Scottish Gaelic làmh-sgrìobhainn, làmh-sgrìobhainn
- làmh-sgrìobhainnbook, composition or any other document, written by hand
- làmh-sgrìobhainnbook, article etc, submitted for reproductive publication
Slovak rukopis
- rukopisbook, composition or any other document, written by hand
Spanish manuscrito, manuscrito
- manuscritohandwritten, or by extension typewritten
- manuscritobook, composition or any other document, written by hand
- manuscritobook, article etc, submitted for reproductive publication
Swedish manuskript, handskrift
- manuskriptbook, composition or any other document, written by hand
- handskriftbook, composition or any other document, written by hand
- manuskriptbook, article etc, submitted for reproductive publication
Thai ต้นฉบับ
- ต้นฉบับ (dtôn-chà-bàp)book, composition or any other document, written by hand
Turkish yazma
- yazmabook, composition or any other document, written by hand
Ukrainian руко́пис, манускри́пт
- руко́пис (rukópys)book, composition or any other document, written by hand
- манускри́пт (manuskrýpt)book, composition or any other document, written by hand
Vietnamese thủ bản
- thủ bảnbook, composition or any other document, written by hand
Cite this entry
APA
manuscript. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/manuscript
MLA
“manuscript.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/manuscript. Accessed November 2, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “manuscript,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/manuscript.
Source: manuscript on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.