Courier: A Runner, a Delivery Service, and a Typewriter Font
A courier carries messages or parcels. The word once meant a runner, and it now also names one of the most familiar typefaces in the world.
A courier carries something urgent from one place to another. The name is literally a runner, from Latin *currere*, to run. The typeface called Courier was named on the same logic: it was designed for the machines that carried business correspondence.
- A delivery company or rider. *Send it by courier.*
- A messenger. *A diplomatic courier.*
- A tour guide (British). *The courier met the group at the airport.*
- A monospaced typeface. *Set the script in Courier.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | courier | A motorcycle courier. |
| Verb | courier | Courier it overnight. |
| Related | current | A strong current. |
| Related | curriculum | The school curriculum. |
| Related | excursion | A day excursion. |
How it is used in a sentence
- The documents were sent by courier.By courier — no article.
- A cycle courier delivered it within the hour.A common city occupation.
- Screenplays are traditionally typed in 12-point Courier.One page then runs roughly one minute of screen time.
The running family
- Courier — one who runs with a message
- Current — water or electricity that runs
- Curriculum — originally a running or a racecourse
- Excursion — a running out
- Concur and occur — to run together, and to run towards
From Old French *coreor*, from Latin *currere*, to run. The typeface was designed by Howard Kettler for IBM in 1955; when it was not trademarked it spread to every typewriter and later every computer.
Courier or delivery driver?
Courier usually implies speed and a specific consignment. Delivery driver covers routine rounds of many parcels.
Why are screenplays set in Courier?
Because it is monospaced, so page length is predictable — roughly one page per minute of finished film.