MAN-yuh-skript
MANUSCRIPT is a handwritten or typed document, especially an author's original work before it's published. The word literally means "written by hand." In word games, this 10-letter word is worth 16 points in Scrabble, featuring valuable letters like M, C, and P.
16
Points in Scrabble
Base tile values • No multipliers applied
A MANUSCRIPT represents the raw essence of written creation—an author's original work in its most authentic form, whether handwritten on parchment or typed on a computer. Before the printing press revolutionized publishing, manuscripts were humanity's primary vessels for preserving and transmitting knowledge, painstakingly copied by scribes who dedicated their lives to reproducing texts letter by letter. Today, while the medium has evolved from quill and ink to keyboards and screens, the manuscript remains the crucial first incarnation of any written work.
In the publishing world, a manuscript is any unpublished written work submitted for consideration. Authors labor over manuscripts for months or years, crafting novels, memoirs, academic treatises, or poetry collections. The journey from manuscript to published book involves multiple stages: developmental editing, copyediting, proofreading, design, and production. Literary agents often serve as gatekeepers, reviewing thousands of manuscript submissions to find gems worthy of publishers' attention. The phrase "unsolicited manuscript" strikes fear in aspiring authors—most publishers won't even open submissions that arrive without agent representation.
Historically, manuscripts were far more than mere texts—they were works of art. Medieval illuminated manuscripts combined calligraphy, miniature paintings, and gold leaf decoration to create objects of breathtaking beauty. Monks in scriptoriums spent decades creating single volumes like the Book of Kells or the Lindisfarne Gospels. These manuscripts preserved not just words but entire cultural traditions through the Dark Ages. The transition from manuscript to print culture in the 15th century marked one of history's great technological revolutions, democratizing knowledge by making texts reproducible.
Ancient manuscripts provide windows into lost civilizations. The Dead Sea Scrolls, discovered in caves near Qumran, revolutionized biblical scholarship. The Nag Hammadi manuscripts revealed alternative early Christian texts. Egyptian papyrus manuscripts preserved medical knowledge, love poems, and business contracts from thousands of years ago. Each discovered manuscript can rewrite history—the Archimedes Palimpsest, scraped and overwritten in medieval times, was recovered using modern imaging to reveal lost mathematical treatises.
Modern manuscript formats have evolved with technology: - Traditional manuscripts: Double-spaced, one-inch margins, numbered pages - Digital manuscripts: Word processor files, often with tracked changes - Academic manuscripts: Formatted according to style guides (APA, MLA, Chicago) - Screenplay manuscripts: Specific formatting for dialogue and action - Music manuscripts: Handwritten or digitally notated scores - Scientific manuscripts: Structured sections with data, methods, results
The romance of manuscripts persists in our digital age. Authors' handwritten manuscripts become valuable artifacts—institutions pay millions for original manuscripts by famous writers. J.K. Rowling's handwritten "Tales of Beedle the Bard" sold for £1.95 million. Bob Dylan's "Like a Rolling Stone" manuscript fetched $2 million. These documents offer intimate glimpses into creative processes: crossed-out words, marginal notes, and revisions that reveal how masterpieces evolved.
For Scrabble players, MANUSCRIPT offers strategic possibilities: - 10 letters requires using existing board tiles (7 from rack + 3 on board) - Contains high-value letters: M (3), C (3), P (3) totaling 9 points - Can potentially be formed from SCRIPT by adding MANU- - The -SCRIPT suffix appears in other words: TRANSCRIPT, POSTSCRIPT - Common letters (A, N, U, S, R, I, T) increase playability - Multiple consonant clusters (MN, SC, PT) can create parallel plays
"Manuscript" perfectly preserves its Latin origins: "manu" (by hand) + "scriptus" (written), literally meaning "written by hand." This etymology reflects pre-printing press reality when all texts were handwritten. The word entered English in the 1590s through Medieval Latin "manuscriptum," maintaining its original meaning even as writing technology evolved beyond quills and parchment.
The etymological journey reveals changing technologies:
Related terms share these roots: "manual" (done by hand), "manufacture" (made by hand), "manuscript" (written by hand), and "scribe/script" (write). The persistence of "manuscript" for typed or digital documents shows how words outlive their literal meanings—we still "dial" phones without dials and "film" movies without film. This linguistic conservatism preserves the historical connection between modern documents and their handwritten ancestors.
•Before printing, a single manuscript could take a monk 2-3 years to copy—making books more valuable than gold
•The Vatican Secret Archives contain 53 miles of shelving holding manuscripts dating back 1,200 years
•Medieval scribes invented abbreviations we still use: "&" (ampersand) saved space in manuscripts
•The Voynich Manuscript, written in an unknown script, has defied decryption for over 600 years
•Standard manuscript format (Courier 12pt, double-spaced) equals ~250 words per page
"The author's manuscript had been rejected seventeen times before finally finding a publisher who recognized its brilliance."
"Researchers discovered a lost Shakespeare manuscript in the attic of an English manor, authenticated by handwriting analysis."
"The medieval manuscript featured elaborate gold leaf illuminations and marginalia depicting mythical creatures."
"She carefully transcribed her grandmother's handwritten manuscript, preserving family recipes passed down for generations."
Total base points: 16 (Scrabble)
Vowels: 3 | Consonants: 7
Decorated with gold, miniatures
Scraped and rewritten parchment
Bound pages (vs. scrolls)
Ancient writing materials
80,000-120,000 words typical
Peer-reviewed research papers
Specific format, ~120 pages
Handwritten or digital notation
Build from these parts:
Other document and writing words in Scrabble
Writing-related terms often contain Latin roots and valuable consonant combinations.
Practice unscrambling letters to find more high-scoring words like MANUSCRIPT