The Secret Language of Scribes

Imagine living in a time when every letter, word, and sentence you wrote had to fit onto a finite piece of parchment — an expensive and labor-intensive resource. Unlike today, where digital space is infinite (or so it feels), medieval scribes operated under strict constraints. So, what did these literary magicians do to ensure they could fit all the words onto their scrolls and books? They invented abbreviation marks — dashes, dots, and wavy lines — to conserve parchment and, quite literally, save the day.

Welcome to the fascinating, quirky world of medieval abbreviations, where every stroke of the quill was carefully considered. These tiny notations were the original “text abbreviations,” making medieval monks the OG creators of shorthand. Here’s some fun trivia to brighten your day and give you a newfound appreciation for the artistry of ancient writing.

Squeezing Words Onto Parchment

Before paper became widely available, parchment — made from animal skin — was the go-to writing medium. However, it wasn’t just lying around in stacks like printer paper. Creating parchment required weeks of labor, from preparing the hide to meticulously stretching, scraping, and drying it. And let’s not even talk about the cost. For every manuscript, a scribe faced the daunting task of maximizing space.