a style of orthography characterized by somewhat rounded capital letters; found especially in Greek and Latin manuscripts of the 4th to 8th centuries
<noun.communication> [ adj ]
relating to or written in majuscule letters (which resemble modern capitals)
<adj.pert> uncial letters
Uncial \Un"cial\, a. [L. uncialis amounting to the twelfth part of a pound or a foot, from uncia the twelfth part of a pound or of a foot, an ounce, an inch: cf. F. oncial. See {Inch} a measure.] Of, pertaining to, or designating, a certain style of letters used in ancient manuscripts, esp. in Greek and Latin manuscripts. The letters are somewhat rounded, and the upstrokes and downstrokes usually have a slight inclination. These letters were used as early as the 1st century b. c., and were seldom used after the 10th century a. d., being superseded by the cursive style.