Thursday Word: Incipit

[bethctg]

incipit (noun)
(in-ˈsi-pət)

• the first part : beginning
specifically: the opening words of a text of a medieval manuscript or early printed book

"As in the title pages or main divisions of later printed books, incipits provide an occasion for display letters and a fanfare of calligraphic ornament." (Encyclopedia Britannica)

"The incipit of a text is the first few words of the text, employed as an identifying label. In a musical composition, an incipit is an initial sequence of notes, having the same purpose." (Wikipedia)

etymology: Latin, it begins, from incipere

Here is an example from the 1630s. The characters are formed with birds!


(from the Public Domain Image Archive)

Comments

[thatjustwontbreak]

I love the bird letters!! So cool. Also, what a great word.

[amaebi]

A ghostwriter could have the slogan “Never an insipid incipit!”