NEW VOCABULARY WORDS

From the word of the day email:

Epigraph

1. An inscription on a building, statue, or coin.
2. A short quotation or saying at the beginning of a book or chapter, intended to suggest its theme.

EXAMPLE SENTENCES


"The epigraph of my first book is a clever quote from Dorothy Parker."

"I didn't recognize the man in the statue, but the epigraph said he was the city's first mayor."

"The brief epigraph at the beginning of the book of poetry described the author's love of the wilderness."

"Epigraph" is an interesting word.  In modern day usage it is frequently substituted for with words like "inscription" or "quotation" in books and "dedication" on buildings. I really dislike this trend to over-simplify everything. I much prefer the correct usage as you outlined. Epigraph is a word that should be treasured and used, not thrown on the trash-heap of American English in an ill-advised attempt at universal usage.

Good word,  LP