Epigraph: meaning, pronunciation and examples
Epigraph noun. A short quotation placed at the start of a book or chapter to suggest its theme.
How to say it
EP-ih-grahf/ˈɛpɪɡrɑːf/ · American /ˈɛpɪɡræf/
3 syllables, stressed on the first (EP). Forms: epigraphs.
Meanings
- A short quotation placed at the start of a book or chapter to suggest its theme.
- An inscription on a building, statue or coin.
Epigraph in a sentence
Each chapter opens with an epigraph from a sea shanty.
The novel's epigraph, a single line of Dante, tells you exactly where things are heading.
Similar and opposite
Similar:
- quotation
- motto
- inscription
Where epigraph comes from
From Greek epigraphē, an inscription, from epi, upon, and graphein, to write.
Test yourself
Which word fills the gap?
The novel's _____, a single line of Dante, tells you exactly where things are heading.
- purple prose
- epigraph
- ghostwriter
Show the answer
epigraph: The novel's epigraph, a single line of Dante, tells you exactly where things are heading.