epigraph
epigraph
Greek
“Surprise: epigraph was once the inscription itself.”
Greek epigraphē meant "inscription," from epi "upon" and graphein "to write." It first named words written on stone or metal. The term was a noun for a physical inscription. Writing on something is the core.
Greek epigraphē passed into Latin as epigraphe. Renaissance scholars revived it in inscriptions and archaeology. By the 17th century, English used epigraph for quotations placed at the head of a work. The word shifted from carved text to prefatory text.
The modern literary sense grew with printed books. A named author and date often became part of the practice. The older inscription sense survives in technical contexts. The word bridges stone and page.
The same root gives graphic, autograph, and biography. Epigraph keeps the sense of writing upon. It is still a piece of text set above or before. The placement echoes the original surface.
Related Words
Today
An epigraph is a quotation placed at the beginning of a book, chapter, or inscription. In archaeology it can also mean the inscription itself.
The word still means writing set upon or before a text. Placement is the whole point. Words on the threshold.
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