Meanings
plural paleographies · alternative UK palaeography · alternative dated palæography
- UScountableuncountableThe study of old or ancient forms of writing.
2 more examples
Paleography might teach men to read documents, diplomatics to date them and to test their authenticity; but the full significance of an ancient deed might easily escape the most exact paleographer and the most accomplished diplomatist, for the want of that finished sense for legal technicality which is the natural fruit of a conveyancing practice.
1910, H. A. L. Fisher, Frederick William Maitland, Downing Professor of the Laws of England, Cambridge: University PressThis book is the culmination of a six-year detective hunt among local records, archives, and private collections in England and in Massachusetts. I do not recommend a similar study to any student who has a faint heart, lack of patience, inability to travel, or poor eyesight. Such a study demands the development of various specialized skills. A knowledge of the mysteries of genealogy is essential, and these can be both complex and frustrating. One must also learn about paleography and know how to decipher the different court hands, the shorthand Latin used by clerks, and seventeenth-century handwriting in general. A note of warning: many of the church documents make the formal manorial court rolls look like works of art, as they are. Single pages, or paragraphs of entries, in Church Court Deposition Books or Churchwardens’ Accounts have cost me many hours of exasperation, to say nothing of long weeks at the typewriter. Another important ability which must be cultivated is the use of a portable photostat machine, such as the Contura, under every kind of difficulty, including the differences in types of electric current in foreign countries and the caution of archivists who fear any damage to their documents. In addition to the skill of handling a photostat machine, one should know about photographic processes in general and a certain amount about cartography, particularly for the period studied. Naturally, the technical legal language used by court clerks must be mastered.
1963, Sumner Chilton Powell, “Preface”, in Puritan Village: The Formation of a New England Town, Wesleyan University Press - UScountableuncountableAncient scripts or forms of writing themselves, as uncial, scriptio continua, or methods of using papyrus scrolls.
- UScountableobsoleteuncountablePaleogeography.
Origin
From paleo- + -graphy; imitating Latin palaeographia for the first sense and French paléographie and paléogéographie for the second and third senses.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic عِلْم الكِتَابَات القَدِيمَة
- عِلْم الكِتَابَات القَدِيمَة (ʕilm al-kitābāt al-qadīma)study of old forms of writing
Basque paleografia
- paleografiastudy of old forms of writing
Bulgarian палеография
- палеография (paleografija)study of old forms of writing
Catalan paleografia
- paleografiastudy of old forms of writing
Chinese Cantonese 古文字學 /古文字学
- 古文字學 /古文字学 (gu² man⁴ zi⁶ hok⁶)study of old forms of writing
Chinese Mandarin 古文字學 /古文字学, 古文字
- 古文字學 /古文字学 (gǔwénzìxué)study of old forms of writing
- 古文字 (gǔwénzì)ancient scripts or forms of writing
Czech paleografie
- paleografiestudy of old forms of writing
Danish palæografi
- palæografistudy of old forms of writing
Dutch paleografie
- paleografiestudy of old forms of writing
Esperanto paleografio
- paleografiostudy of old forms of writing
Estonian paleograafia
- paleograafiastudy of old forms of writing
Finnish paleografia, vanhat kirjoitustyylit
- paleografiastudy of old forms of writing
- vanhat kirjoitustyylitancient scripts or forms of writing
French paléographie
- paléographiestudy of old forms of writing
German Paläografie, Paläographie
- Paläografiestudy of old forms of writing
- Paläographiestudy of old forms of writing
Greek παλαιογραφία
- παλαιογραφία (palaiografía)study of old forms of writing
Hebrew פלאוגרפיה
- פלאוגרפיהstudy of old forms of writing
Hindi पुरालेखविद्या
- पुरालेखविद्या (purālekhvidyā)study of old forms of writing
Hungarian paleográfia
- paleográfiastudy of old forms of writing
Icelandic handritafræði
- handritafræðistudy of old forms of writing
Indonesian paleografi
- paleografistudy of old forms of writing
Italian paleografia
- paleografiastudy of old forms of writing
Japanese 古文書学
- 古文書学 (komonjogaku)study of old forms of writing
Korean 고문자학
- 고문자학 (gomunjahak)study of old forms of writing
Latin palaeographia
- palaeographiastudy of old forms of writing
Latvian paleogrāfija
- paleogrāfijastudy of old forms of writing
Norwegian paleografi
- paleografistudy of old forms of writing
Persian کتیبهشناسی
- کتیبهشناسیstudy of old forms of writing
Polish paleografia
- paleografiastudy of old forms of writing
Portuguese paleografia, paleografia
- paleografiastudy of old forms of writing
- paleografiaancient scripts or forms of writing
Romanian paleografie
- paleografiestudy of old forms of writing
Russian палеогра́фия
- палеогра́фия (paleográfija)study of old forms of writing
Slovak paleografia
- paleografiastudy of old forms of writing
Spanish paleografía, paleografía
- paleografíastudy of old forms of writing
- paleografíaancient scripts or forms of writing
Swedish paleografi
- paleografistudy of old forms of writing
Tagalog dalubtalandaan
- dalubtalandaanstudy of old forms of writing
Turkish paleografi
- paleografistudy of old forms of writing
Ukrainian палеографія
- палеографія (paleohrafija)study of old forms of writing
Vietnamese cổ văn tự học
- cổ văn tự họcstudy of old forms of writing
Welsh palaeograffeg
- palaeograffegstudy of old forms of writing
Yiddish פּאַלעאָגראַפֿיע
- פּאַלעאָגראַפֿיע (paleografye)study of old forms of writing
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with paleography
Cite this entry
paleography. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/paleography
“paleography.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/paleography. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “paleography,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/paleography.
Source: paleography on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.