frontispiece

American  

[fruhn-tis-pees, fron-] / ˈfrʌn tɪsˌpis, ˈfrɒn- /

noun

1. an illustrated leaf preceding the title page of a book.

2. Architecture.  a façade, or a part or feature of a façade, often highlighted by ornamentation.

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frontispiece British  

/ ˈfrʌntɪsˌpiːs /

noun

1. an illustration facing the title page of a book

2. the principal façade of a building; front

3. a pediment, esp an ornamented one, over a door, window, etc

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Etymology

Origin of frontispiece

1590–1600; alteration (conformed to piece ) of earlier frontispice < French < Medieval Latin frontispicium, equivalent to Latin fronti- front + -spicium (combining form representing specere to look at)

Example Sentences

The picture is well known in France as the frontispiece of Rimbaud’s “Poésies Complètes,” which was published posthumously in 1895.

From New York Times

This research will be featured as a frontispiece in the upcoming issue of Advanced Materials and has secured both domestic and international patents.

From Science Daily

After all, even Martin Droeshout’s frontispiece portrait for the First Folio shows a face that looks, to some eyes, like a mask.

From Washington Post

The frontispieces are prints augmented with gouache and colored pencil, which is characteristic of Wolfe’s eclectic approach.

From Washington Post

Recast in vivid color, the frontispiece is enlarged to life-size scale, swapping out a generic female face for a specific one.

From Los Angeles Times