Ep'i-grāph, n.

n. [Gr. ἐπιγραφή, from ἐπιγράφειν, to write upon, inscribe, from ἐπί and γράφειν, to write; Fr. épigraphe.]

1. An inscription on a building denoting its use, sometimes made part of the ornamental details of the construction. Fairholt.
2. (Lit.) A citation from some author, or a sentence framed for the purpose, placed at the commencement of a work or of its separate divisions; a motto. Brande.