This articleneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Rotunda" script – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(April 2013) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |


TheRotunda is a specific medievalblackletter script. It originates inCarolingian minuscule. Sometimes, it is not considered a blackletter script, but a script on its own. It was used mainly in southern Europe.

One of the key differences between Rotunda and other blackletter scripts is that broken bows appear only in a few letters such asd.[1]

Ther rotunda (ꝛ), "rounded r", is an old letter variant commonly used in rotunda scripts and other blackletter typefaces. It is thought that this variant form of that letter was originally devised either to save space while writing on expensive parchment or for aesthetic reasons.
There is a form ofItalian blackletter known as rotunda, as it was less angular than in northern centres. The most usual form of Italian rotunda waslittera bononiensis, used at theUniversity of Bologna in the 13th century. Biting is a common feature inrotunda, but breaking is not.
Italianrotunda also is characterized by unique abbreviations, such as q with a line beneath the bow signifying "qui", and unusual spellings, such as x for s ("milex" rather than "miles").