epigraph

[ ep-i-graf, -grahf ]
/ ˈɛp ɪˌgræf, -ˌgrɑf /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR epigraph ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

an inscription, especially on a building, statue, or the like.
an apposite quotation at the beginning of a book, chapter, etc.

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DO YOU KNOW THIS VOCABULARY FROM "THE HANDMAID'S TALE"?

"The Handmaid's Tale" was required reading for many of us in school. Everyone else has probably watched the very popular and addictive TV show. Do you remember this vocabulary from the book, and do you know what these terms mean?
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decorum
the act of or need for making up one's mind.
dignified propriety of behavior, speech, dress, etc.
a company of singers, especially an organized group employed in church service.
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Origin of epigraph

First recorded in 1615–25, epigraph is from the Greek word epigraphḗ inscription. See epi-, -graph

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH epigraph

epigram epigraph epitaph epithet

Words nearby epigraph

epigoni, epigonus, epigram, epigrammatic, epigrammatize, epigraph, epigraphic, epigraphy, epigynous, epigynum, epikeratophakia
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to epigraph

eulogy, elegy, inscription, head, code, underline, device, cipher, rubric, key, table, motto, heading, epitaph, memorial, sentiment, legend, monument, remembrance, commemoration

Example sentences from the Web for epigraph

British Dictionary definitions for epigraph

epigraph
/ (ˈɛpɪˌɡrɑːf, -ˌɡræf) /

noun

a quotation at the beginning of a book, chapter, etc, suggesting its theme
an inscription on a monument or building

Derived forms of epigraph

epigraphic (ˌɛpɪˈɡræfɪk) or epigraphical, adjectiveepigraphically, adverb

Word Origin for epigraph

C17: from Greek epigraphē; see epigram
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