Roman type
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
Ordinary type, as distinguished from italic, clarendon, gothic or "black letter," etc. ; so called because founded on that used in ancient Roman inscriptions and manuscripts.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “Roman type” mean?
Ordinary type, as distinguished from italic, clarendon, gothic or "black letter," etc. ; so called because founded on that used in ancient Roman inscriptions and manuscripts.
Is “Roman type” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.