Unlesbare

Unlesbare is a German adjective meaning unreadable or illegible. It describes text, handwriting, prints, or symbols that cannot be read clearly, whether due to decay, poor writing, unclear typography, or other obstructions to legibility. The term is widely used in everyday language as well as in professional contexts such as archival science and paleography.

Etymology and form: the word is formed with the negating prefix un- attached to lesbar, from lesen (to read) with the suffix -bar meaning “able to be.” The inflected form unlesbare is used before feminine singular nouns (for example, unlesbare Schrift) and before plural nouns (for example, unlesbare Texte), with variations depending on the grammatical case and determiner.

Usage and contexts: unlesbare appears in discussions of manuscripts, archival documents, printed matter, and digital text when readability is compromised. It can describe both physical deterioration (fading ink, damaged parchment) and visual issues (illegible fonts, poor contrast). In professional settings, determining whether a text is unlesbar may lead to transcription efforts, palaeographic analysis, or the use of optical character recognition (OCR) technologies.

Causes and practical implications: common causes include fading ink, ink blots, cramped or unfamiliar handwriting, archaic orthography, and low-resolution reproductions. The inability to read such text can hinder historical research, citation, and data extraction, prompting specialists to document, transcribe, or digitally restore the content when possible.

See also: paleography, archival science, optical character recognition, legibility.