Standard Lemma guide

incunabulum

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /ˌɪn.kjʊˈnæb.jʊ.ləm/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A book, single sheet, or image that was printed before the year 1501 in Europe.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: media, printing, publishing

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: fifteener

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

The cradle, birthplace, or origin of something.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: in-plural

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin incūnābulum (“cradle, origin”).

Across languages

Translations

46 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Afrikaans: inkunabel — book, sheet or image
  • Afrikaans: wiegdruk — book, sheet or image
  • Catalan: incunable — book, sheet or image
  • Chinese Mandarin: 古版書 /古版书 (gǔbǎnshū) — book, sheet or image
  • Czech: inkunábule — book, sheet or image
  • Czech: prvotisk — book, sheet or image
  • Danish: inkunabel — book, sheet or image
  • Dutch: wiegendruk — book, sheet or image
  • Dutch: incunabel — book, sheet or image
  • Estonian: inkunaabel — book, sheet or image
  • Estonian: hälltrükised — book, sheet or image
  • Finnish: inkunaabeli — book, sheet or image
  • Finnish: kehtopainate — book, sheet or image
  • French: incunable — book, sheet or image
  • Georgian: ინკუნაბულა (inḳunabula) — book, sheet or image
  • German: Inkunabel — book, sheet or image
  • German: Wiegendruck — book, sheet or image
  • Greek: αρχέτυπο (archétypo) — book, sheet or image
  • Hungarian: ősnyomtatvány — book, sheet or image
  • Icelandic: vögguprent — book, sheet or image
  • Ido: inkunablo — book, sheet or image
  • Indonesian: inkunabula — book, sheet or image
  • Italian: incunabolo — book, sheet or image
  • Italian: incunabulo — book, sheet or image
  • Japanese: インキュナブラ (inkyunabura) — book, sheet or image
  • Korean: 요람본 (yorambon) — book, sheet or image
  • Macedonian: инкуна́була (inkunábula) — book, sheet or image
  • Norwegian Bokmål: inkunabel — book, sheet or image
  • Norwegian Bokmål: oldtrykk — book, sheet or image
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: inkunabel — book, sheet or image
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: oldtrykk — book, sheet or image
  • Polish: inkunabuł — book, sheet or image
  • Portuguese: incunábulo — book, sheet or image
  • Romanian: incunabul — book, sheet or image
  • Russian: инкуна́була (inkunábula) — book, sheet or image
  • Russian: инкуна́бул (inkunábul) — book, sheet or image
  • Slovak: inkunábula — book, sheet or image
  • Slovak: prvotlač — book, sheet or image
  • Slovene: inkunabula — book, sheet or image
  • Spanish: incunable — book, sheet or image
  • Swedish: inkunabel — book, sheet or image
  • Swedish: vaggtryck — book, sheet or image
  • Turkish: incunabulum — book, sheet or image
  • Ukrainian: інкуна́була (inkunábula) — book, sheet or image
  • Welsh: incwnabwlwm — book, sheet or image
  • Finnish: kehto — origin