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Manicula
The manicula (Latin for "little hand") was drawn in medieval manuscripts as a hand that pointed to important passages. The hands are sometimes paired with short notes, which the reader may have written in response to the text.
Manuscript:
The word manuscript, literally 'handwritten', describes a book that is written by hand. It is abbreviated as ms. (singular) and mss. (plural).
Manuscript waste (Binding):
Scraps of discarded manuscripts that are reused to bind and cover other manuscripts.
Marginalia:
The Latin word for 'things in the margin'. Marginalia is writing or decoration in the margins of a manuscript. Such features can be original to the main text or added at a later date. Marginalia include glosses, annotations, and diagrams.
Mass:
The mass forms the basis of Christian liturgy. It centers on the Eucharist, which involves the breaking of bread and drinking of wine to symbolize the Last Supper. The texts for mass were first contained in the sacramentary and then in the missal.
Maundy Thursday:
The Thursday before Easter, observed in the Christian Church as a remembrance and participation in the Lord’s Supper.
Medieval:
The word medieval comes from the Latin medium aevum ("middle age"). The medieval period spans from the collapse of the Roman empire in the 5th century to the Renaissance which varied from region to region but was generally embraced by the 15th century. See Middle Ages.
Metal Point:
A writing tool made of metal and used for annotation, drawing, and ruling, which leaves a trace mark on the writing surface. This mark varies in appearance according to the metal used and alloys present. The marks are more faint than ink but more visible than those made with a hard point.
Middle Ages:
See medieval.
Missal:
A service book containing the texts necessary for Mass including chants, prayers, and readings, together with ceremonial directions. The missal was introduced in the Carolingian period.
Monastery:
A building or a complex of buildings occupied by monks living under religious vows.
Monastic Production:
From the early Christian period until the rise of the universities around 1200, book production was primarily conducted in monastic scriptoria. The work teams varied, from a single artist-scribe who was responsible for a whole book to teams of scribes, illuminators, correctors, and binders. Book production included the writing of the main text, its rubrication, illumination, and correction, followed by sewing and binding.
Monk:
A member of a male religious order who lives in a monastery and observes vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience.
Multi-Spectral Imaging (MSI):
A series of photographs under different wavelengths of light, both visible and invisible (ultraviolet and infrared).