epigraphy

[ ih-pig-ruh-fee ]

/ ɪˈpɪg rə fi /

noun

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

inscriptions collectively.

Nearby words

epigram, epigrammatic, epigrammatize, epigraph, epigraphic, epigraphy, epigynous, epigynum, epikeratophakia, epilate, epilation

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

/ (ɪˈpɪɡrəfɪ) /

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