Superscription
noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 Something written (or engraved) on the surface, outside, or above something else; specifically, an address on a letter, envelope, etc. countable, uncountable
"Hovv counterfeit a coin they are vvho friends / Bear in their Superſcription (of the moſt / I vvould be underſtood) in proſperous days / They ſvvarm, but in adverſe vvithdravv their head / Not to be found, though ſought."
- 2 the activity of superscribing wordnet
- 3 An editorial addition at the beginning, often indicating the authorship of a piece. countable, uncountable
"1911, Encyclopædia Britannica By a pure error, or perhaps through a confusion in the traditions, Achish the Philistine (of Gath, 1 Sam. xxi., xxvii.), to whom David fled, is called Abimelech in the superscription to Psalm 34."
- 4 an inscription written above something else wordnet
- 5 The act of superscribing. countable, uncountable
Example
More examples"Hovv counterfeit a coin they are vvho friends / Bear in their Superſcription (of the moſt / I vvould be underſtood) in proſperous days / They ſvvarm, but in adverſe vvithdravv their head / Not to be found, though ſought."
Etymology
From Middle French superscription, or its source, Late Latin superscriptio, from superscribere.
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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.