noun
- a book printed before 1501, especially one produced in the earliest period of printing from movable type
Usage: often used in the plural form 'incunabula'; from Latin incunabula meaning 'cradle' or 'infancy'
Examples
- The library's collection of incunables includes several rare Gutenberg editions.
- Scholars study incunables to understand the history of printing and book production.
- That incunable is worth thousands of dollars due to its age and rarity.
- The museum displayed an incunable from 1480 alongside modern books.
- Collectors of incunables often focus on first editions from specific regions or printers.
- The incunable shows the transition from manuscript to printed text in its design.