colophon
[ kol-uh-fon, -fuh n ]
/ ˈkɒl əˌfɒn, -fən /
noun
a publisher's or printer's distinctive emblem, used as an identifying device on its books and other works.
an inscription at the end of a book or manuscript, used especially in the 15th and 16th centuries, giving the title or subject of the work, its author, the name of the printer or publisher, and the date and place of publication.
Nearby words
Origin of colophon
1615–25; < Latin < Greek kolophṓn summit, finishing touch
Related formscol·o·phon·ic, adjective
Definition for colophon (2 of 2)
Colophon
[ kol-uh-fon ]
/ ˈkɒl əˌfɒn /
noun
an ancient city in Asia Minor: one of the 12 Ionian cities banded together in the 8th century b.c.: largely depopulated in 286 b.c.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for colophon
British Dictionary definitions for colophon
colophon
/ (ˈkɒləˌfɒn, -fən) /
noun
a publisher's emblem on a book
(formerly) an inscription at the end of a book showing the title, printer, date, etc
Word Origin for colophon
C17: via Late Latin, from Greek kolophōn a finishing stroke
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for colophon
colophon
1774, "publisher's inscription at the end of a book," from Latin colophon, from Greek kolophon "summit, final touch" (see hill).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper