paleography

[pey-lee-og-ruh-fee or, esp. British, pal-ee-] /ˌpeɪ liˈɒg rə fi or, esp. British, ˌpæl i-/
noun
1.
ancient forms of writing, as in documents and inscriptions.
2.
the study of ancient writing, including determination of date, decipherment, etc.
Origin
1810-20; paleo- + -graphy
Related forms
paleographer, noun
paleographic
[pey-lee-uh-graf-ik or, esp. British, pal-ee-] /ˌpeɪ li əˈgræf ɪk or, esp. British, ˌpæl i-/ (Show IPA), paleographical, adjective
paleographically, adverb
Encyclopedia Article for paleography

study of ancient and medieval handwriting. The term is derived from the Greek palaios ("old") and graphein ("to write").

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