manuscript

1 of 2

adjective

man·​u·​script ˈman-yə-ˌskript How to pronounce manuscript (audio)
: written by hand or typed
manuscript letters
manuscript poems

manuscript

2 of 2

noun

1
: a written or typewritten composition or document as distinguished from a printed copy
also : a document submitted for publication
The library owns the author's original manuscript.
2
: writing as opposed to print

Examples of manuscript in a Sentence

Noun The library owns the author's original manuscript. a copy of the composer's manuscript
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
Early features, like the manuscript preview and BookLife prize, were dismissed at the time. Christopher Null, WIRED, 7 Feb. 2024 There were two pages of notes, and two more of instructions on manuscript paper. Joshua Barone, New York Times, 28 Sep. 2023 The first is a manuscript fragment from The Scarlet Letter, hand-copied by Hawthorne as a memento for an unnamed friend after the novel was published. Ted Scheinman, Smithsonian Magazine, 9 May 2023 Sikander’s anti-nostalgic relationship to the manuscript tradition allows her to both advance and deconstruct its idioms. Naib Mian, The New Yorker, 1 June 2022 That bucolic vision was disrupted when the university president, aware of Stewart’s knowledge of early Christian sites in the Middle East, asked him to take on a manuscript preservation project for the Orthodox Christian church in northern Lebanon. Joshua Hammer, Smithsonian Magazine, 20 May 2021
Noun
That review looked into plagiarism after Sharma claimed Lin had wrongly omitted the senior researcher as an author from a manuscript built on research to which Sharma contributed. Angus Chen, STAT, 26 Feb. 2024 On Friday, glimpses of the yellow pads with in-progress lyrics from the album’s title track were shown during testimony by Tom Lecky, a former manuscripts executive at the auction house Christie’s. David Browne, Rolling Stone, 23 Feb. 2024 Some may intentionally falsify data, knowing that the process of peer review — when a journal sends a manuscript to experts for comments — is unlikely to catch fakery. Carla K. Johnson, Fortune Europe, 26 Jan. 2024 The museum’s ode to the unicorn will feature manuscripts, paintings, coins, sculptures, illustrations, tapestries and even shop signs. Sonja Anderson, Smithsonian Magazine, 25 Jan. 2024 Henley testified earlier this week that he was disappointed in an initial draft of 100 pages of the manuscript in 1980. CBS News, 29 Feb. 2024 Pace takes clear, infectious pleasure in such ephemeral moments, combing through bootlegs of live performances like an archivist looking for clues in a medieval manuscript. Owen Myers, Pitchfork, 29 Feb. 2024 Two years later, the museum acquired additional manuscripts and memorabilia from the composer’s sister, Ruth Ellington Boatwright. Harrison Smith, Washington Post, 23 Feb. 2024 Holding a parchment manuscript in her hands, she is simultaneously thrilled by the preservation of treasured words and repelled by the slaughter on which this miracle rests. Claudia Roth Pierpont, The New Yorker, 19 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'manuscript.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Latin manu scriptus

First Known Use

Adjective

1597, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1571, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of manuscript was in 1571

Dictionary Entries Near manuscript

Cite this Entry

“Manuscript.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/manuscript. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

manuscript

1 of 2 adjective
manu·​script
ˈman-yə-ˌskript
: written by hand or typed
manuscript letters

manuscript

2 of 2 noun
1
: a written or typewritten composition or document
2
: writing as opposed to print

More from Merriam-Webster on manuscript

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!