epigraph
Americannoun
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an inscription, especially on a building, statue, or the like.
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an apposite quotation at the beginning of a book, chapter, etc.
noun
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a quotation at the beginning of a book, chapter, etc, suggesting its theme
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an inscription on a monument or building
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of epigraph
First recorded in 1615–25, epigraph is from the Greek word epigraphḗ inscription. See epi-, -graph
Explanation
An epigraph is an engraved inscription on a building or statue, or a quotation at the beginning of a piece of writing. If you look on the U.S. government minted coins in your pocket, you'll see the epigraph "In God We Trust." Epigraph comes from the Greek roots epi- ("on") and graphein ("write"), a root you'll recognize from autograph, graphite, graphic novel, and lots of other familiar words that have to do with writing or drawing.
Vocabulary lists containing epigraph
Write On!: Graph and Gram
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Rhetoric
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Reading: Literature - Literary Devices & Figures of Speech - Middle School
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
In the epigraph to one of her chapters, Ms. Footer quotes Sammy Davis Jr.: “Part of show business is magic. You don’t know how it happens.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 20, 2026
It is as Caro says in the book’s epigraph: “One must wait until the evening to see how splendid the day has been.”
From Slate ● Sep. 16, 2024
I use John Pesando’s remark as the epigraph, “Every whistleblower is an amateur playing against professionals.”
From Salon ● Jun. 20, 2024
He said that in the hours after Lear’s death, he was looking through his biography, “Even This I Get to Experience,” and was struck by the epigraph.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 7, 2023
Which is why the epigraph of this book is the quatrain from the famous Christmas carol.
From "Slaughterhouse-Five" by Kurt Vonnegut
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
