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Topic Options #84959 - 10/27/02 04:18 PM incunabula Buffalo Shrdlu Carpal Tunnel Registered: 06/24/02 Posts: 7184 Loc: Vermont I ran across this word looking up volvelle, and was surprised at the etymology. from m-w: Main Entry: in.cu.nab.u.lum Pronunciation: "in-ky&-'na-by&-l&m, "i[ng]- Function: noun Etymology: New Latin, from Latin incunabula, plural, bands holding the baby in a cradle, from in- + cunae cradle Date: circa 1859 Inflected Form(s): plural in.cu.nab.u.la /-l&/ 1 : a book printed before 1501 2 : a work of art or of industry of an early period in searching the board(didn't want to yart), the only references were to a member named incunabula back in early 2001... _________________________ formerly known as etaoin... Top #84960 - 10/27/02 05:38 PM Re: incunabula wwh Carpal Tunnel Registered: 01/18/01 Posts: 13858 Dear etaoin: I never heard the etymology rererring to bands that hold child in a cradle. I always thought the ending was just a diminutive. I found one site that mentioned Thomas DeQuincy, but I couldn't find anything that suggested he invented the term. Top #84961 - 10/27/02 06:05 PM Re: incunabula Buffalo Shrdlu Carpal Tunnel Registered: 06/24/02 Posts: 7184 Loc: Vermont yeah, the etymology to the meaning just seems to be a bit of a stretch! I guess cradle, early learning, etc, but it's weak... _________________________ formerly known as etaoin... Top #84962 - 10/27/02 06:41 PM Re: incunabula wwh Carpal Tunnel Registered: 01/18/01 Posts: 13858 Dear etaoin: I had a bit of luck. A search turned up words "swaddling clothes" and search for Incunabula swaddling clothes thurned up this: ncunabula (Latin: swaddling clothes) Books printed before the end of the year 1500. The term was first used in reference to printing by Bernard von Mallinckrodt, dean of Münster cathedral, in De ortu et progressu typographicae (Cologne, 1639), a bicentenary celebration of Gutenberg's invention. The author describes the period up to 1500 as prima typographicae incunabula (the time when printing was in swaddling clothes), a phrase that other writers soon copied. In the eighteenth century the word incunabula alone began to be applied to the products of early printing. The singular form incunabulum, now often anglicized or gallicized to incunable, is used to refer to a single book from this period. The German equivalent is Wiegendruck (cradle-book). The choice of the year 1500 as the end of the first period suggests a clear break in the development of printing, an implication that is not confirmed by the work produced early in the sixteenth century. Top #84963 - 10/27/02 07:00 PM Re: incunabula Buffalo Shrdlu Carpal Tunnel Registered: 06/24/02 Posts: 7184 Loc: Vermont that's great, Bill! thanks for that information. it does make sense then... _________________________ formerly known as etaoin... Top Previous Topic Index Next Topic Preview Hop to: General Topics ------   Information and announcements   Q&A about words   Wordplay and fun   Words and languages in schools   Miscellany   Weekly Themes   Looking for (writers, speakers, ...) (Old) Weekly themes. (have been consolidated into a single forum above) ------   Words from medicine   Beheading words   Meta-words   Words from classical mythology   Animal Safari   Words with unusual etymologies   Eponyms or words derived from people's names.   Loanwords from German   English as a global language Moderator:  Jackie  Print Topic Switch to Threaded Mode View profile Send a PM View homepage Add to your Watched Users View posts View profile Send a PM Add to your Watched Users View posts View profile Send a PM View homepage Add to your Watched Users View posts View profile Send a PM Add to your Watched Users View posts View profile Send a PM View homepage Add to your Watched Users View posts Forum Stats 8424 Members 16 Forums 13687 Topics 209791 Posts Max Online: 3341 @ 12/09/11 02:15 PM Newest Members a2teacher, teepee, smoothcriminal86, janbra, junebug 8424 Registered Users Who's Online 0 registered (), 44 Guests and 3 Spiders online. Key: Admin, Global Mod, Mod Top Posters (30 Days) LukeJavan8 86 wofahulicodoc 56 jenny jenny 56 endymion6 48 Rhubarb Commando 37 BranShea 34 Buffalo Shrdlu 15 zmjezhd 13 Faldage 13 tsuwm 11 May Su M Tu W Th F Sa 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31

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