Type

Type, tīp, n. a mark or figure struck or stamped upon something: an emblem or figure of something to come, esp. the foreshadowing in the Old Testament of something realised in the New (the antitype): an exemplar, pattern: a representative style, model: the principal device on a coin or medal: a model in nature made the subject of a copy: (nat. hist.) that which combines best the characteristics of a group: the order in which the symptoms of a disease exhibit themselves: a chemical compound which represents the composition and structure of many more complex compounds, esp. Gerhardt's four types—hydrochloric acid, water, ammonia, and marsh-gas: a piece of metal, wood, or other material, on one end of which is cast or engraved a character, sign, &c. used in printing (the sizes are designated by different names in respect of their body—i.e. the depths of the face which comes in contact with the ink plus the bevel and beard. [Image: Type Styles.] Again, differences in width render the type fat or lean, or, if strongly marked, extended or condensed; differences in style or face are endless—Roman and Italic compose the text of all books in English; Antique (1), Gothic (2), Clarendon (3), and Black-letter (4) are approved styles for display. In America types are designated according to the number of 'points' of which the body consists. The point is 1⁄12 of a Pica; Nonpareil would accordingly be called six points. On the Continent the point is 1⁄12 of a Cicero, a body between Pica and English): the whole types used in printing.—v.t. to constitute a type of: to reproduce in type: to typify.—adj. Ty′pal.—ns. Type′-bar, a line of type cast in one piece, as in a linotype or typograph; Type′-block, a body of metal or wood on which a type is cut or cast; Type′-cast′ing, the act of founding type in moulds; Type′-cut′ter, one who engraves dies for printing-types; Type′-cyl′inder, the cylinder of a rotary printing-machine on which types or plates are fastened for printing; Type′-found′er, one who founds or casts printers' type; Type′-found′ing; Type′-found′ry, a place where type is founded or manufactured; Type′-gauge, a type-measure: a gauge for estimating the size of type.—adj. Type′-high, of the standard height of type—of a woodcut, &c.—ns. Type′-hold′er, a bookbinder's pallet or holder for use in hand-stamping; Typem′bryo, an embryo at the stage when it first exhibits the type of structure of the phylum or sub-kingdom to which it belongs; Type′-met′al, metal used for making types, a compound of tin, antimony, copper, and lead; Type′-scale, a measuring-rod for type; Type′-set′ter, a compositor: a machine which combines types in proper order for printing; Type′-set′ting.—v.t. and v.i. Type′write, to produce by means of a typewriter: to practise typewriting.—ns. Type′writer, a machine for producing legible characters on paper by mechanical means without the use of a pen: an operator on a typewriting machine; Type′writing.—adjs. Typ′ic, -al, pertaining to, or constituting, a type: emblematic: figurative: (nat. hist.) combining the characteristics of a group: connotative, indicative.—n. Typical′ity.—adv. Typ′ically.—ns. Typ′icalness; Typificā′tion; Typifī′er.—v.t. Typ′ify, to make a type of: to represent by an image or resemblance: to prefigure:—pa.p. and pa.t. typ′ifīed.—ns. Ty′pist, one who uses a typewriter; Typo (tī′pō), a compositor; Ty′pocosmy (Bacon), universal terminology; Ty′pograph, a machine for making and setting type; Typog′rapher, a printer; Typograph′ia (pl.), miscellany relating to printers and printing: (sing.) a book of instruction in printing.—adjs. Typograph′ic, -al, pertaining to typography or printing.—adv. Typograph′ically.—ns. Typog′raphist, a student of typography; Typog′raphy, the art of printing: (orig.) the art of representing by types or symbols: the general appearance of printed matter.—adj. Typolog′ical, pertaining to typology.—ns. Typol′ogy, the doctrine of Scripture types or figures; Typomā′nia, a craze for printing one's lucubrations.—Type genus (biol.), a generic type; Type species (biol.), a specific type.—Unity of type, the fundamental agreement in structure seen in organic beings of the same class or order. [Fr. type—L. typus—Gr. typos—typtein, to strike.] The above specimen lines show the usual bodies used in the texts of books and newspapers; (1) being set in Great Primer, (2) in English, (3) in Pica, (4) in Small Pica, (5) in Long Primer, (6) in Bourgeois, (7) in Brevier, (8) in Minion, (9) in Nonpareil, (10) in Pearl, and (11) in Diamond. The black squares represent the square of the body of the type, one of the units of measurement, and is called an em, the letter M being exactly square. The following is a list of the number of lines to the foot of the respective bodies as made in actual metal types: Great Primer 51¼ Brevier 111 English 64 Minion 122 Pica 72 Nonpareil 144 Small Pica 83 Pearl 179 Long Primer 89 Diamond 204 Bourgeois 102 A 'font' of type is an indefinite quantity having all the proper proportions of 'sorts,' including capitals and small capitals, lower-case, spaces, points and references, figures, accents, hyphens, ligatures ( [Image: Ligatures for fi fl and ffi] ), &c. The proportion of letters ranges from 200 z's to 12,000 e's. The smaller letters are called lower-case, from the case in which the compositor has them arranged; the capitals and small capitals being in a different or upper case.