diplomatics
1 synonym for diplomatics, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.
Noun — The academic discipline that establishes whether an old official document is genuine, works out when it was produced, and interprets its contents.
How to use diplomatics
The word patterns that sound natural to a native speaker.
study diplomatics
the field of diplomatics
diplomatics and palaeography
medieval diplomatics
A specialist academic term found mainly in history and archival studies.
Etymology
Likely adapted from the Italian or Church Latin word diplomatica, referring to the study of official documents.
Full origin of diplomatics →Frequently asked questions
What is diplomatics?
Diplomatics is the scholarly discipline concerned with authenticating, dating and interpreting old official documents.
Is diplomatics the same as palaeography?
They're related but distinct: palaeography looks broadly at old handwriting styles, whereas diplomatics zeroes in on whether a document is genuine and when it was drawn up.
Who uses diplomatics?
Historians, archivists and legal scholars use diplomatics when they need to verify or date historical official documents.
