Definition of "paleography" [pa•le•og•ra•phy]

• The study and scholarly interpretation of earlier, especially ancient, writing and forms of writing. (noun)
• The documents whose writing is so studied. (noun)
• The manner of writing in an earlier, especially ancient, document or set of documents. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "Katherine Tachau taught me Latin paleography, wrote letters of support, and gave general encouragement."
• "Also, you need years of study, a specialization in paleography, and several years of work experience to decode the ancient writings."
• "I avoid using the term paleography in the Wordhoard, though, because most people don't know what it means."