inscription
Americannoun
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something inscribed.
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a historical, religious, or other record cut, impressed, painted, or written on stone, brick, metal, or other hard surface.
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a brief, usually informal dedication, as of a book or a work of art.
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a note, as a dedication, that is written and signed by hand in a book.
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the act of inscribing.
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Pharmacology. the part of a prescription indicating the drugs and the amounts to be mixed.
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British.
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an issue of securities or stocks.
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a block of shares in a stock, as bought or sold by one person.
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Also called legend. Numismatics. the lettering in the field of a coin, medal, etc.
noun
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something inscribed, esp words carved or engraved on a coin, tomb, etc
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a signature or brief dedication in a book or on a work of art
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the act of inscribing
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philosophy linguistics an element of written language, esp a sentence Compare utterance 1
Other Word Forms
- inscriptional adjective
- inscriptionless adjective
- inscriptively adverb
- preinscription noun
- superinscription noun
Etymology
Origin of inscription
1350–1400; Middle English inscripcio ( u ) n < Latin inscrīptiōn- (stem of inscrīptiō ), equivalent to inscrīpt ( us ) (past participle of inscrībere to inscribe ) + -iōn- -ion
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.
Two weeks after that, he sent it back to me with this inscription: “For John Wirth, with my appreciation, John Irving.”
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 8, 2026
Indian authorities said an inscription on one of the caskets unearthed with the treasure confirmed the contents -- which include bone fragments -- as "relics of the Buddha".
From Barron's • Jan. 3, 2026
Another inscription on the vessel is written in Demotic script, a simplified form of ancient Egyptian writing.
From Science Daily • Dec. 18, 2025
An otherwise common inscription of the nembutsu prayer for Amida Buddha is cast on one side.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 12, 2025
The moon is not drawn but is mentioned in the inscription.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
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.
