Literary notes about Minuscule (AI summary)
The word "minuscule" is employed in literature with a fascinating versatility that bridges technical description and evocative imagery. In discussions of script and manuscript backgrounds, it designates a style of writing characterized by smaller, lower-case letters—a subtle evolution from ancient Roman cursive that replaced the majuscule or capital forms [1][2][3][4]. At the same time, authors extend its use to convey a sense of almost imperceptible minuteness, whether referring to the faint sound of a wind instrument mimicking a bird’s chirp [5], an extremely small physical detail like a counter or a beach [6][7], or even a negligible quantity of a substance or income [8][9][10]. This dual application underscores how minuscule can denote both a precise historical script style and an abstract idea of triviality, enriching the descriptive palette of literary texts.
- 38 MINUSCULE WRITING As mentioned before, the Roman cursive was the basis of the writing on the Continent.
— from Illumination and Its Development in the Present Day by Sidney Farnsworth - This style is very important, as it marks the beginning of the change from majuscule to minuscule writing.
— from Illumination and Its Development in the Present Day by Sidney Farnsworth - The small (lower-case) letters became known as minuscule , as contrasted with majuscule , or capital letters.
— from The Art & Practice of Typography A Manual of American Printing, Including a Brief History up to the Twentieth Century, with Reproductions of the Work of Early Masters of the Craft, and a Practical Discussion and an Extensive Demonstration of the Modern Use of Type-faces and Methods of Arrangement by Edmund G. (Edmund Geiger) Gress - The handwriting is the beautiful Carolingian minuscule which the Norman Conquest introduced into England.
— from Early European History by Hutton Webster - Press the edges of the bottom of the cage, and a minuscule wind-instrument imitates the chirping of the bird.
— from Glimpses of Unfamiliar Japan: First Series by Lafcadio Hearn - Alan said quietly, sliding back to sit on the minuscule counter surface in his kitchenette.
— from Someone Comes to Town, Someone Leaves Town by Cory Doctorow - “Here’s the pitch,” Alan said, taking a sip of the thick, steaming coffee the Greek handed to him in a minuscule cup.
— from Someone Comes to Town, Someone Leaves Town by Cory Doctorow - The amount of antibodies created was, unfortunately, minuscule.
— from Syndrome by Thomas Hoover - Is that minuscule lump of humanity your own?"
— from Anything You Can Do ... by Randall Garrett - Jobs are not created, the educated are often bitterly idle, salaries are minuscule if paid at all, the future is past.
— from Financial Crime and Corruption by Samuel Vaknin
