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colophon

 - 6 dictionary results

col⋅o⋅phon

[kol-uh-fon, -fuhn]
–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 kolophn summit, finishing touch


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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col·o·phon   (kŏl'ə-fŏn', -fən)   
n.  
  1. An inscription placed usually at the end of a book, giving facts about its publication.

  2. A publisher's emblem or trademark placed usually on the title page of a book.


[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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Word Origin & History

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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Encyclopedia

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.

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Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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