inscription

American  

[in-skrip-shuhn] / ɪnˈskrɪp ʃən /

noun

• inscriptions
  plural

1. something inscribed.

2. a historical, religious, or other record cut, impressed, painted, or written on stone, brick, metal, or other hard surface.

3. a brief, usually informal dedication, as of a book or a work of art.

4. a note, as a dedication, that is written and signed by hand in a book.

5. the act of inscribing.

6. Pharmacology. the part of a prescription indicating the drugs and the amounts to be mixed.

7. British.

   1. an issue of securities or stocks.

   2. a block of shares in a stock, as bought or sold by one person.

8. Also called legend.  Numismatics. the lettering in the field of a coin, medal, etc.

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inscription British  

/ ɪnˈskrɪpʃən /

noun

1. something inscribed, esp words carved or engraved on a coin, tomb, etc

2. a signature or brief dedication in a book or on a work of art

3. the act of inscribing

4. philosophy linguistics an element of written language, esp a sentence Compare utterance 1

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• preinscription
  noun
• superinscription
  noun
• inscriptional
  adjective
• inscriptionless
  adjective
• inscriptively
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• inscriptions
  plural

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

Explanation

Inscription is a fancy word for “writing” — the act of writing or a small bit of writing. You weren't excited when you received the card, but the inscription inside made you weep with emotion. Here, have a tissue. You can see the word script in inscription which can help you remember its meaning. You might find an inscription on a gravestone, on a locket, on a cufflink, or in a book. You were excited to see the inscription dedicating your friend's novel to you, until you fell asleep before page 10. Then you weren't sure what to say.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

inscription inscriptions

Celtic's new home shirt celebrates 60 years since the Lisbon Lions defeated Inter Milan to win the European Cup at the Estadio Nacional in Lisbon, with a commemorative badge and inscription inside the neck.

From BBC ● Aug. 9, 2026

On its back, a carved inscription reads, “This Machine Kills Fascists.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 10, 2026

Below that, an inscription will read: “Symbols of local worship places I took my young children to. Thanking America’s freedom of religion. And hoping for a conciliation between Islam, Christianity and other religions.”

From Salon ● Jun. 1, 2026

An inscription at the shrine of Apollo at Delphi fruitlessly warned the oracle’s visitors mêden agan, “nothing too much.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 25, 2026

While I’d slept, she’d deciphered the inscription on the Copper Key.

From "Ready Player One: A Novel" by Ernest Cline

Despite a lack of formal education, Kusman began copying the inscriptions found during excavations carried out in eastern Turkey, Iran and Armenia, over which Urartu once stretched.

From Barron's ● Aug. 10, 2026

Once-common literary references to Shakespeare or Dickens have now become as obscure in the common culture as so many Mayan inscriptions.

From Salon ● Apr. 19, 2026

Absent any contextual identity, the names and dates Mayan inscriptions reveal are simply that: names and dates.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 20, 2026

It was a Showtime magic born of a commitment found in one of the two inscriptions on the statue.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 22, 2026

On the walls and columns of Karnak, at Dendera, everywhere in Egypt, Champollion delighted to find that he could read the inscriptions almost effortlessly.

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan

Related Words

• caption
• engraving
• epitaph
• lettering
• signature