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majuscule

majuscule

8.4
A large capital letter used at the start of names or sentences
  • noun
  • /ˈmædʒəˌskjuːl/
  • Specialized
translation icon : letra mayúscula
  • Many ancient texts were written entirely in majuscule, making them harder to read for modern audiences.

Examples

  • A title written in majuscule letters stands out prominently on the cover page.

  • Majuscules are distinguished from minuscules by a precise proportional system and by immediately perceptible differences in the thickness of engraved lines.

    Academic text (1995)
  • Avoid threatening movements, I advised myself, wondering what a majuscule would find threatening...

    Fiction book (2001)
  • Four smaller majuscules were with him, and all five were walking upright.

    Fiction book (2001)
  • Flanking the solid majuscule of your surname.

    Fiction book (1997)
  • Or perhaps that trigger spot was coded somehow only for majuscules.

    Fiction book (2001)
  • I wondered, nervously, if sheer geometry made majuscules particularly narrow-minded.

    Fiction book (2001)
  • Below the tools are specimens of engraved letters, both majuscules and minuscules, with a cursive style that bears comparison to Petroschi's.

    Academic text (1995)
  • The teacher emphasized the importance of using a majuscule at the beginning of proper nouns.

Synonyms

capital
vsmajuscule
64 1.2

A large letter used at the start of names or sentences

is the specific typographic name for that large letter form
uppercase
vsmajuscule
4 2.2

A large letter used at the start of names or sentences

is the older specialist term for that same large character
capital letter
vsmajuscule
4 1.0

A large letter that you use at the start of a sentence or name

is the traditional typographic term for that same large letter
upper-case letter
vsmajuscule
1 1.5

A large letter that begins names and sentences

is the unhyphenated traditional term for the same large letter
capital letters
vsmajuscule
1.0

Large letters that start sentences and names

is the singular term referring to one large letter rather than the set

Surface Forms

majuscule singular
majuscules plural

Etymology

Majuscule comes from the Latin majus meaning 'larger' and is the opposite of minuscule. A majuscule is simply a large, capital letter used at the start of a name or sentence.