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Incunabula: meaning, pronunciation and examples
Incunabula noun. Books printed in Europe before 1501, in the earliest decades of printing with movable type.
How to say it
in-kyoo-NAB-yuh-luh/ˌɪnkjʊˈnabjʊlə/
5 syllables, stressed on the third (NAB). Forms: incunabulum, incunable.
Meanings
- Books printed in Europe before 1501, in the earliest decades of printing with movable type.
- The early stages of development of anything.
Incunabula in a sentence
The cathedral library holds incunabula with hand-painted capitals.
A single incunabulum can sell for more than a house.
Similar and opposite
Similar:
- early printed books
- first printings
Where incunabula comes from
From Latin incunabula, swaddling clothes or cradle, hence the infancy of printing.
Test yourself
Which word fills the gap?
A single _____ can sell for more than a house.
- incunabula
- bildungsroman
- manuscript
Show the answer
incunabula: A single incunabulum can sell for more than a house.