cursive

1 of 2

adjective

cur·​sive ˈkər-siv 

: running, coursing: such as

a

of writing : flowing often with the strokes of successive characters joined and the angles rounded

b

: having a flowing, easy, impromptu character

cursively adverb

cursiveness noun

cursive

2 of 2

noun

1

: a manuscript written in cursive writing

also : cursive writing

2

: a style of printed letter resembling handwriting

Examples of cursive in a Sentence

Noun

He writes in cursive when he takes notes.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

In another section, a line of storefronts with uniform neon white cursive signage houses outposts local favorites, like Tonnie’s Minis from Newark and my personal obsession, Bang Cookies, from Jersey City. —Rachel Chang, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Mar. 2024

That tattoo has a cursive M which turns into a J with a rose on the end. —Lawrence Dow, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 15 May 2024

Noun

Maybe some of the signatures didn’t match because people’s handwriting deteriorated with age, or because younger voters had never learned how to sign their names in cursive. —Eli Saslow Erin Schaff Eli Saslow, New York Times, 6 June 2024

On morning strolls along the sea with my dog, restaurants received their catch-of-the-day and carefully etched menu additions in cursive on chalkboard signs. —Lane Nieset, Travel + Leisure, 13 May 2024

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

borrowed from Medieval Latin cursīvus, from Latin cursus, past participle of currere "to run" + -īvus -ive — more at current entry 1

Note: The word cursīva (scrīptūra "writing" presumably understood) is used for scripts by the German Benedictine monk and scribe Leonhard Wagner (Leonardus Wirchlin, 1453-1522) in Proba centum scripturarum una manu exaratarum (1507), which named and exemplified a hundred different hands from the 11th century to the author's own day. It is unclear if the word was used earlier. (There is no lemma for cursīvus in the Mittellateinisches Wörterbuch.) For Latin cursus as the past participle of currere—for expected *co(r)stus—see note at course entry 1.

Noun

derivative of cursive entry 1

First Known Use

Adjective

circa 1784, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1838, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

cursive

adjective

cur·​sive

ˈkər-siv

: written or formed with the strokes of the letters joined together and the angles rounded

cursive handwriting

cursive noun

cursively adverb