Meaning of bookstaff | Babel Free

Definitions

A letter, a letter of the alphabet, a written character.

archaic

Examples

“Brother Ormin cautions transcribers to follow⟳ his spelling exactly —And tat he looke well that he (And that he look⟳ well that he), An bookstaff write⟳ tweis (A letter write⟳ twice), Eywhere then it upo this book (Wherever then it upon this book) Is written o that wise (Is written on that wise), For he ne may nought elles (For he may not else) On English writen right te word (In English write⟳ right the word).”

“As the “bookstaff” had vanished before the littera, another substance had to be employed for the purpose of writing, and the skins of animals, properly prepared and called bók fell, or book skins, appeared.”

“This is Aleph, says Isaac; the first bookstaff in the grammatic.”

“This place⟳ of endearment! How it is clear! How they cast⟳ their spells upon, the fronds that thereup float⟳, the bookstaffs branchings!”

“Here I sit⟳ with a pencil and pad / Pouring out my ideas / Making bookstaff images of ideas I've had / Write⟳ down the vision and make⟳ it plain / So that all who pass⟳ by can catch⟳ it / Well A B C - 1 2 3 […]”

“[…] “[Doctor Martin] had undercut the pope, cardinals, and the great bishops, ... he had proved they could not offer⟳ so much as a bookstave from holy scripture to prove⟳ that their great power and lordship were based on God's command.”

“'I can't read⟳ bookstaves, but Holiday learned himself,' said Softly. […] 'He learned me a bare five bookstaves, but it was enough to read⟳ a whole word.'”

“The poetic dialogue between Solomon and Saturn not only calls the rune for R the “best of bookstaves” (bocstafa brego), but it also spells out the Pater Noster, acrostically with runes, […]”

CEFR level