Typecase

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A shallow wooden or metal tray divided into compartments that holds the individual pieces of metal type used in hand composition
2. The partitioned case in which a printer keeps loose metal letters, numerals and symbols sorted for setting text by hand
3. A compartmented box for storing printing type, with each small section reserved for a single character or sort

Etymology: Printing type was once cast letter by letter in metal, and each small block holding a character was a "type." The container that held those blocks was a "case," a shallow wooden tray divided into compartments, so a typecase was simply the case that held the type. Compositors, the workers who set text by hand, would reach into these trays to pick out letters, and the trays were arranged so frequently used letters sat in larger, more accessible boxes. The compartment layout gave us the everyday phrases "upper case" and "lower case." Capitals were kept in the upper part of the case, nearer the compositor's hand at the top of the frame, while small letters filled the lower, more heavily used section. That is why modern keyboards and word processors still speak of capitals and small letters in those terms, long after no one has touched a physical tray.