Manuscrita

Manuscrita is the feminine form of the Spanish adjective manuscrito, meaning “written” or “handwritten.” It is used to describe text or documents produced by hand or related to a manuscript.

In Spanish, adjectives agree with the gender and number of the nouns they modify. For example, una carta manuscrita refers to a handwritten letter, while un documento manuscrito refers to a handwritten document. The masculine plural form is manuscritos and the feminine plural is manuscritas.

Common contexts for the term include descriptions of manuscripts in literature and historical archives, as well as the distinction between handwritten and printed texts. Phrases such as texto manuscrito or carta manuscrita emphasize the manual creation of the content, often in contrast with versiones impresas or texto impreso.

Historically, many works were preserved as manuscritos before the advent of printing, making palaeography and archival studies central to understanding such texts. Manuscripts can vary in script, language, and material, and their analysis often involves dating, provenance, and handwriting styles.

In modern usage, manuscrita continues to denote handwriting, handwriting-like forms, or the original handwritten state of a document, though the noun “manuscrito” more commonly names a physical manuscript itself. The term remains useful for distinguishing handwritten originals from transcriptions or print editions. See also manuscript, manuscrito, palaeography, and calligraphy for related topics.