Typographic anatomy
Posted by OERT - Apr 27, 2012 Letter, Theory 0
Created by: Natalia Fernández
Artículo en proceso de traducción
Glossary
apophyge: small curved part, usually ¼ circle, which connects the main stem with the terminals or serifs.
arm: horizontal stroke that is free at one end.
bowl: it refers to the loops that lean on the baseline.
cross: horizontal stroke in the letters «T», «t» and «f».
crossbar: horizontal stroke in the letters «e», «f», «t», «A», «H» and «T».
ear: small stroke that comes out of the head of the closed tail lower case «g».
elbow: 90º joint formed between the straight strokes of the «G».
encounter: Abrupt joint of two strokes that intersect at a point.
eye: embossing of the type that stick out of the shoulder, which, impregnated with ink, produces the imprint.
flourish: stroke.
foot: see leg.
head: it refers to the upper part of the sign.
hook: curved and closed stroke. teardrop: End usually found in the curved strokes in the head of some lower case, for instance the «a», la «f» and the «c».
interior counterform: space which is totally or partially enclosed inside a letter.
joint: gradual coming together of two strokes that meet to become one.
leg: diagonal stroke that serves as support for some letters.
loop: curved stroke that encloses a counterform.
nail: small stroke, in the shape of a nail, which appears in some «G» letters.
neck: stroke that links the head with the tail in the «g».
shoulder: part of the kind that is below the eye and which leaves no impression.
stem: main stroke of the letter. // descender: has a calligraphic origin, it refers to the direction in which the stroke was made. Usually, descenders are thin and ascending ones are thick. ascender: see above.
stroke: is each one of the strokes that conforms the letter.
tail: descending stroke that makes «Q» different from «O». It also applies to the descending stroke in «g».
terminal: supplementary element of the stem in those letters that have it. Also called serif.
vertex: straight and sharp joint of two strokes.
This entry is also available in: Spanish
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