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colophon - 7 dictionary results
col⋅o⋅phon
[kol-uh-fon, -fuh
n] 
–noun
| 1. | a publisher's or printer's distinctive emblem, used as an identifying device on its books and other works. |
| 2. | an inscription at the end of a book or manuscript, used esp. in the 15th and 16th centuries, giving the title or subject of the work, its author, the name of the printer or publisher, and the date and place of publication. |
Origin:
1615–25; < L < Gk koloph
n summit, finishing touch
1615–25; < L < Gk koloph
n summit, finishing touchRelated forms:
col⋅o⋅phon⋅ic, adjective
Col⋅o⋅phon
[kol-uh-fon] –noun
| an ancient city in Asia Minor: one of the 12 Ionian cities banded together in the 8th century b.c.: largely depopulated in 286 b.c. |
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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|
Link To colophon
| col·o·phon (kŏl'ə-fŏn', -fən) n.
[Late Latin colophōn, from Greek kolophōn, summit, finishing touch; see kel-2 in Indo-European roots.] |
| Col·o·phon (kŏl'ə-fŏn') An ancient Greek city of Asia Minor northwest of Ephesus. It was famous for its cavalry. |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Colophon
Col"o*phon\ (k[o^]l"[-o]*f[o^]n), n. [L. colophon finishing stroke, Gr. kolofw`n; cf. L. culmen top, collis hill. Cf. Holm.] An inscription, monogram, or cipher, containing the place and date of publication, printer's name, etc., formerly placed on the last page of a book. The colophon, or final description, fell into disuse, and . . . the title page had become the principal direct means of identifying the book. --De Morgan. The book was uninjured from title page to colophon. --Sir W. Scott.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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colophon
1774, "publisher's inscription at the end of a book," from L. colophon, from Gk. kolophon "summit, final touch" (see hill).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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colophon
an inscription placed at the end of a book or manuscript and giving details of its publication, e.g., the name of the printer and the date of printing. Colophons are sometimes found in manuscripts and books made from the 6th century AD on. In medieval and Renaissance manuscripts, a colophon was occasionally added by the scribe and provided facts such as his name and the date and place of his completion of the work, sometimes accompanied by an expression of pious thanks for the end of his task.
Learn more about colophon with a free trial on Britannica.com.
Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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