Where Did Uppercase and Lowercase Come From?
You've probably sometimes wondered how to capitalize properly, but did you ever wonder about where did uppercase and lowercase come from? You might be surprised how far back the story goes. In this article, you can learn more about:
- Where did the terms uppercase and lowercase come from?
- What role printing played in this plot; and
- Why it matters today.
Don't wait any longer to explore the unexpected story about where did uppercase and lowercase come from!
🙋 If you need a hand with converting upper and lower case letters, our uppercase to lowercase converter is here to help you. And if you need to go the other way, use our lowercase to uppercase converter.
Have you ever stopped to wonder where uppercase and lowercase come from? It's a question most of us never think about, but the story behind it stretches back centuries, through stone carvings, handwritten manuscripts, and the first printing presses.
The story begins in ancient Rome, where inscriptions on monuments and buildings were carved in capital letters only — which they referred to as majuscule. These letters gave a clear and formal appearance, which made them suitable for official messages and important announcements. But as writing moved from stone to parchment, scribes needed a faster, more practical way to record information. Slowly, a smaller, rounded form of letters emerged, known as minuscule letters, which eventually became our modern lowercase.
Centuries later, when Johannes Gutenberg invented the printing press in the 15th century, printers had to organize thousands of tiny metal letters. They stored the capital letters in the upper case of their drawers and the smaller letters in the lower case. Because of this practical arrangement, we now use the terms uppercase and lowercase. Surprising, isn't it?
Over time, uppercase and lowercase letters took on their roles in communication:
- Capitals — for emphasis, beginnings, and proper names; and
- Lowercase — for smooth reading.
The evolution of upper and lower letters reflects human imagination, invention, and practical thinking, which together shaped the smooth development of written language.
Though upper and lower case were already referred to as majuscule and minuscule during the Roman Empire, the terms we use today only arose in the 15th century. The invention of the printing press brought practical challenges, such as organizing thousands of metal letters. Printers stored capital letters in the upper case of their drawers and smaller letters in the lower case, giving rise to the terminology we still use today.
English uses uppercase and lowercase letters for several purposes:
- Distinguish sentence beginnings;
- Proper nouns; and
- Emphasis — e.g., for titles.
The beginnings of capitalization rules evolved as historical writing systems sought greater efficiency and were formalized after the invention of the printing press.
Capitalization began with the distinction between large (majuscule) and small (minuscule) letters in the Roman Empire. If you're also wondering where the terms uppercase and lowercase come from, they originated with the invention of the printing press, after which the terminology and modern rules were standardized.
This article was written by Julia Kopczyńska and reviewed by Steven Wooding.