Etymology of 'Incunabulum'
The term 'incunabulum' is derived from the Latin word 'incunabula,' which means "cradle" or "swaddling clothes." It was first used in the late 15th century to refer to the earliest printed books.
Meaning of 'Incunabulum'
An incunabulum (plural: incunabula) refers to a book printed in Western Europe before 1501. This period marks the history of printing from the invention of the printing press by Johannes Gutenberg around 1450 to the beginning of the 16th century.
Origin of 'Incunabulum'
The use of the term 'incunabulum' to describe early printed books originated in the 18th century. Before that, these books were generally referred to as "old books" or "ancient books."
In 1797, the German librarian Johann Friedrich Ebert coined the term 'incunabula' to describe early printed books. He chose this term because he believed that these books represented the infancy of printing technology, similar to the cradle period in the life of a child.
The term 'incunabulum' has since become the standard way to refer to books printed in the period from Gutenberg's printing press to the beginning of the 16th century.
Etymology Latin incunabula plural meaning cradles Meaning In book history
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