majusculum

Ma jusculum, or majuscule, is a term used in palaeography and typography to denote uppercase letters within the Latin writing system. In contrast to minuscules (lowercase), majuscules are the larger, capital letterforms used for emphasis, headings, or the basic capital letters in a script. The English term majuscule derives from the French majuscule, itself from the Latin maiusculus, meaning somewhat larger or greater.

Historically, majuscules originated in ancient Rome as square capitals used in inscriptions (capitalis monumentalis) and its related form capitalis rustica for manuscripts. They were later employed in early medieval manuscripts as a formal display script, often in contrast to the more compact lowercase minuscule forms. The development of the Caroline minuscule in the 8th–9th centuries contributed to the predominance of lowercase writing in body text, while majuscules remained common for initials, headings, and liturgical books. Uncial script is sometimes considered a majuscule style derived from late antique practice.

In contemporary typography, majuscule denotes uppercase letters in any alphabet, with "uppercase" being the common modern term. In scholarly descriptions of manuscripts, majuscules may be distinguished by script families such as capitalis monumental, capitalis rustica, and uncial. The distinction between majuscules and minuscules remains a fundamental way to describe the letter shapes, orthography, and layout of historical documents.