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Welcome to the Words of Type Encyclopedia

Terminal

Terminal

Sponsored by DJR . Typeface in use: Job Clarendon , designed by David Jonathan Ross, 2023.

Many terms are borrowed from architecture or human and animal anatomy to designate and describe parts of letters and other characters. We are even speaking of type design anatomy.

The terminal of a character is its very last part, according to its ductus. The shape of the terminal can vary depending on the style of the typeface, with names that ‘feel’ most suited to its shape (drop, ear, serif, etc.).

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