epigraphy

[ih-pig-ruh-fee]

noun

the study or science of epigraphs or inscriptions, especially of ancient inscriptions.

inscriptions collectively.

Origin of epigraphy

First recorded in 1850–55; epigraph + -y³

Related formse·pig·ra·phist, e·pig·ra·pher, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for epigraphy

The geography and topography of ancient lands, anthropology and ethnology, archaeology and epigraphy contribute to its material.
College Teaching|Paul Klapper
It is pleasant to linger under these arches and deliver oneself to the pleasures of epigraphy.
The Spell of the Heart of France|Andr Hallays
Having weakened his eyesight by the study of documents of the middle ages, he turned his attention to epigraphy and numismatics.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 4, Slice 2|Various
Both interpretations are entirely gratuitous suppositions, for which Christian epigraphy furnishes absolutely no warrant.
The Catacombs of Rome|William Henry Withrow

And it was the work of one great scholar, Augustus Boeckh, to raise Greek epigraphy into a science.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 14, Slice 6|Various

British Dictionary definitions for epigraphy

epigraphy

noun

the study of ancient inscriptions

epigraphs collectively

Derived Formsepigraphist or epigrapher, noun

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