Braille
/breɪl/noun
A system of raised dots used by blind or visually impaired people to read and write by touch.
Did you know?Louis Braille adapted his system from Charles Barbier’s military “night writing,” a raised-dot code originally designed for soldiers to read messages without light.
Etymological Timeline
1809
French
Braille
“Surname of Louis Braille, born in Coupvray, France”
1821
French
écriture nocturne
““Night writing,” Charles Barbier’s raised-dot military code that inspired Braille”
1824
French
braille
“The tactile writing system developed by Louis Braille, initially using six-dot cells”
1829
French
Procédé pour écrire les paroles, la musique et le plain-chant
“Title of Braille’s first published description of his system”
19th Century
French/English
braille
“The surname becomes a common noun for the tactile reading and writing system”
Modern English
English
Braille
“A standardized raised-dot writing system used internationally”