Lower case is the small form of letters, as opposed to upper case or majuscule which is the large form. In books and printing, lower case is used more often than upper case. This is for two reasons: first, because lower case letters take up less space than upper case; and second, because a mixture of upper and lower case is easier to read than all upper case.
The word “minuscule” comes from the Latin minusculus, meaning “little”. In the Middle Ages, there was a great deal of variation in the size of letters, both upper and lower case. The standardization of letter sizes that we now take for granted was a gradual process that began in the 14th century and was not fully complete until the 19th century.
The use of lower case for body text and upper case for headings is now a standard convention in book design. This was not always the case, however. In the early days of printing, books were often printed entirely in upper case. It was not until the late 18th century that the use of lower case for body text became common practice.
The term lower case is used to describe the smaller size of letters in the alphabet as opposed to upper case or capital letters. In printing, lower case letters are used more frequently than upper case letters and are therefore printed at a smaller size. This allows for more efficient use of space on a page and results in a cleaner, more legible appearance.
The lower case letters are the most used letters in books and printing. They are efficient and create a more readable text. By using a lower case text, the reader can identify the different words more easily and it also makes the text appear more aesthetically pleasing.