Ep"i*graph (?), n. [Gr. , fr. : cf. F. 'epigraphe. See Epigram.]
1.
Any inscription set upon a building; especially, one which has to do with the building itself, its founding or dedication.
2. Literature
A citation from some author, or a sentence framed for the purpose, placed at the beginning of a work or of its separate divisions; a motto.
© Webster 1913.