Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun The size (5 by 7 3/4 inches) of book pages formed by folding single sheets from a printing press into 12 leaves each.
- noun A book composed of pages of this size.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun A size of page usually measuring, in the United States, about 5⅛ inches in width and 7⅔ inches in length, when the leaf is uncut, and corresponding to crown octavo of British publishers.
- noun A book composed of sheets which, when folded, form twelve leaves of this size.
- noun In music, the interval of a twelfth.
- Consisting of sheets folded into twelve leaves; having leaves or pages measuring about 5⅛ by 7⅔ inches. Often written 12mo or 12°.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- adjective Having twelve leaves to a sheet
- noun A book consisting of sheets each of which is folded into twelve leaves; hence, indicating, more or less definitely, a size of a book; -- usually written 12mo or 12°.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun paper, printing A
size ofpaper , so called because it is originally made byfolding and cutting a singlesheet from aprinting press into 12leaves ; (5 by 7¾ inches): 6.5 to 7.5inches high, approximately 4.5 inches wide. - noun A
sheet orpage of that size - noun printing A
book havingpages of that size
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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A "duodecimo" sheet has the pages arranged as at fig. 4.
Bookbinding, and the Care of Books A handbook for Amateurs, Bookbinders & Librarians Douglas Cockerell 1894
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_Inset_, the portion of a sheet cut off and inserted in folding certain sizes, such as duodecimo, &c. (see Fig. 4).
Bookbinding, and the Care of Books A handbook for Amateurs, Bookbinders & Librarians Douglas Cockerell 1894
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"duodecimo," &c. These names signify the number of folds, and consequently the number of leaves the paper has been folded into.
Bookbinding, and the Care of Books A handbook for Amateurs, Bookbinders & Librarians Douglas Cockerell 1894
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I recently picked up a copy of In Art or Instruction, a limited duodecimo-sized edition published in 1969 as a greeting to friends of Harcourt, Brace & World Inc. on the occasion of its fiftieth year.
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I recently picked up a copy of In Art or Instruction, a limited duodecimo-sized edition published in 1969 as a greeting to friends of Harcourt, Brace & World Inc. on the occasion of its fiftieth year.
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The format … was that of a box or casket, the raw materials for which were provided by the specimen itself, made up in the form of a book – varying in size from folio to duodecimo – with the ‘front cover’ forming a sliding lid …
A 2009
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"Let no man," as Sterne says, "say, — I will write a duodecimo."
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Histoire et description générale de la Nouvelle France, with Journal historique, 3 vols. in quarto, 6 vols. in duodecimo Paris, 1744.
Champlain's Dream David Hackett Fischer 2008
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Tross, Paris, 1866, in four duodecimo volumes, still the edition of choice.
Champlain's Dream David Hackett Fischer 2008
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Histoire et description générale de la Nouvelle France, with Journal historique, 3 vols. in quarto, 6 vols. in duodecimo Paris, 1744.
Champlain's Dream David Hackett Fischer 2008
reesetee commented on the word duodecimo
Often pronounced "twelvemo" and written as 12mo. In rare/antique book printing, a small-format book made from sheets folded to give 12 leaves. In general, a book less than about 7 inches high (measurements vary depending on your choice of authority).
February 20, 2007