inscribe

[in-skrahyb]

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verb (used with object), in·scribed, in·scrib·ing.

to address or dedicate (a book, photograph, etc.) informally to a person, especially by writing a brief personal note in or on it.

to mark (a surface) with words, characters, etc., especially in a durable or conspicuous way.

to write, print, mark, or engrave (words, characters, etc.).

to enroll, as on an official list.

Geometry. to draw or delineate (one figure) within another figure so that the inner lies entirely within the boundary of the outer, touching it at as many points as possible: to inscribe a circle in a square.

British.

to issue (a loan) in the form of shares with registered stockholders.
to sell (stocks).
to buy (stocks).

Origin of inscribe

1545–55; < Latin inscrībere, equivalent to in- in-² + scrībere to write; see scribe¹

Related formsin·scrib·a·ble, adjectivein·scrib·a·ble·ness, nounin·scrib·er, nounpre·in·scribe, verb (used with object), pre·in·scribed, pre·in·scrib·ing.re·in·scribe, verb (used with object), re·in·scribed, re·in·scrib·ing.su·per·in·scribe, verb (used with object), su·per·in·scribed, su·per·in·scrib·ing.un·in·scribed, adjective

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

Related Words for inscribe

carve, etch, engrave, cut, list, register, impress, engross, record, book, indite, scribe

Examples from the Web for inscribe

Contemporary Examples of inscribe

Ushers passed around little pieces of paper on which congregants could inscribe messages of support to victims of sexual abuse.
Faithful Struggle With Scandal at Penn State, Where Football Is Religion
Jacob Bernstein, Jessica Bennett
November 14, 2011

Historical Examples of inscribe

A statuary was directed to inscribe on a monument the age of the deceased, namely 81.
The Book of Anecdotes and Budget of Fun;
Various
To get by heart; hence to register; to write or inscribe an authentic account of.
Orthography
Elmer W. Cavins
Thou must inscribe on a white parchment an image of the sun.
Godolphin, Complete
Edward Bulwer-Lytton
Con was obliged to subjoin: 'Inscribe it on the dungeon-door of tyranny.'
The Celt and Saxon, Complete
George Meredith
Those who have by accident passed through it, have not been induced by its appearance to inscribe its name in their note-books.
Le Morvan, [A District of France,] Its Wild Sports, Vineyards and Forests; with Legends, Antiquities, Rural and Local Sketches
Henri de Crignelle

British Dictionary definitions for inscribe

inscribe

verb (tr)

to make, carve, or engrave (writing, letters, a design, etc) on (a surface such as wood, stone, or paper)

to enter (a name) on a list or in a register

to sign one's name on (a book, photograph, etc) before presentation to another person

to draw (a geometric construction such as a circle, polygon, etc) inside another construction so that the two are in contact but do not intersectCompare circumscribe (def. 3)

Derived Formsinscribable, adjectiveinscribableness, nouninscriber, noun

Word Origin for inscribe

C16: from Latin inscrībere; see inscription

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 inscribe

1550s (form inscriven is from late 14c.), from Latin inscribere "to write in or on," (see inscription). Meaning "to dedicate (by means of an inscription)" is from 1640s. Related: Inscribed; inscribing.