FRONTISPIECE

frontispiece

(noun) front illustration facing the title page of a book

frontispiece

(noun) an ornamental facade

Source: WordNet® 3.1


Etymology

Noun

frontispiece (plural frontispieces)

(publishing) An illustration that is on the page before the title page of a book, a section of one, or a magazine.

(archaic, publishing) The title page of a book.

(architecture) A façade, especially an ornamental one.

(architecture) A small ornamental pediment, especially at the top of a window or door.

Verb

frontispiece (third-person singular simple present frontispieces, present participle frontispiecing, simple past and past participle frontispieced)

(transitive, rare) To supply with a frontispiece.

Source: Wiktionary


Fron"tis*piece, n. Etym: [F. frontispice, LL. frontispicium beginning, front of a church, fr. L. frons front + spicere, specere, to look at, view: cf. It. frontispizio. See Front and Spy.]

Definition: The part which first meets the eye; as: (a) (Arch.) The principal front of a building. [Obs. or R.] (b) An ornamental figure or illustration fronting the first page, or titlepage, of a book; formerly, the titlepage itself.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



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Word of the Day

9 June 2025

HERMAPHRODITE

(noun) one having both male and female sexual characteristics and organs; at birth an unambiguous assignment of male or female cannot be made


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Coffee Trivia

Coffee dates back to the 9th century. Goat herders in Ethiopia noticed their goats seem to be “dancing” after eating berries from a particular shrub. They reported it to the local monastery, and a monk made a drink out of it. The monk found out he felt energized and kept him awake at night. That’s how the first coffee drink was born.

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