R rotunda

The r rotunda (ꝛ), "rounded r," is a historical calligraphic variant of the minuscule (lowercase) letter Latin r used in full script-like typefaces, especially blackletters.

Unlike other letter variants such as "long s" which originally were orthographically distinctive, r rotunda has always been a calligraphic variant, used when the letter r followed a letter with a rounded stroke towards the right side, such as o, b, p, h (and d in typefaces where this letter has no vertical stroke, as in ∂, ð). In this way, it is comparable to numerous other special types used for ligatures or conjoined letters in early modern typesetting.

Form

This symbol came in several different shapes, all of which were of x-height. The shape of the letter used in blackletter scripts Textualis as well as Rotunda is reminiscent of "half an r", namely, the right side of the Roman capital "R"; it looks similar to an Arabic numeral "2".

Like minuscules in general, the origins of the letter are in cursive writing as it was common during the medieval period, ultimately derived from scribal practice during Late Antiquity. The r rotunda shape of cursive r resembling the numeral "2" is also found in a number of medieval scribal abbreviations containing r, e.g. in the signs for the Latin word-final syllables ram, —orum and —arum.

Rotunda

Rotunda or The Rotunda may refer to:

Places

Czech Republic

Greece

Ireland

Moldova

Romania

Rotunda (geometry)

In geometry, a rotunda is any member of a family of dihedral-symmetric polyhedra. They are similar to a cupola but instead of alternating squares and triangles, it alternates pentagons and triangles around an axis. The pentagonal rotunda is a Johnson solid.

Other forms can be generated with dihedral symmetry and distorted equilateral pentagons.

See also

References

The Rotunda (University of Virginia)

The Rotunda is a building located on The Lawn in the original grounds of the University of Virginia. It was designed by Thomas Jefferson to represent the "authority of nature and power of reason" and was inspired by the Pantheon in Rome. Construction began in 1822 and was completed in 1826, after his death. The grounds of the new university were unique in that they surrounded a library housed in the Rotunda rather than a church, as was common at other universities in the English-speaking world. The Rotunda is seen as a lasting symbol of Jefferson's belief in the separation of church and education, as well as his lifelong dedication to both education and architecture.

The collegiate structure, the immediate area around it, and Jefferson's nearby home at Monticello combine to form one of only three modern man-made sites in the United States to be internationally protected and preserved as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO (the other two are the Statue of Liberty and Independence Hall).