What is the origin of the terms "upper case" and "lower case" for capital and small letters?

loulou121

The terms lower case and upper case originated from the way that type (i.e., individual letters that were cast from special metal alloys for use in printing) was stored in the days of hand typesetting. The type was sorted by letter and kept in specially designed wooden or metal cases, with separate cases for capital and small letters. Usually the two cases were placed one above the other on a rack on the typesetter's desk, with the case containing the capital letters (i.e., the upper case) positioned above that containing the small letters (i.e., the lower case). (BELUG website) Aug 26 07, 7:24 PM

lanfranco

Since we insist on reference sites around here, I offer the site, below. The old formal names for "upper case" and "lower case" letters, incidentally, are "majuscule" and "miniscule." I used to like to play with worn-out and discarded type. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Letter_case Aug 26 07, 7:30 PM

queproblema

Yes, my source, a book by Wanda Sanseri, "Spell to Write and Read," says on p. 34: When printers set font by hand a letter at a time, they placed the case holding the most frequent forms of the letters on a lower shelf for convenience. They called this box the 'lower case.' Capital letters were placed higher in a different box called the 'upper case.' Aug 26 07, 9:13 PM