epigraphy

noun

epig·​ra·​phy i-ˈpi-grə-fē How to pronounce epigraphy (audio)
e-
1
2
: the study of inscriptions
especially : the deciphering of ancient inscriptions

Examples of epigraphy in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Epigraphik, which publishes research related to papyrology and epigraphy from classical antiquity. Leslie Katz, Forbes.com, 26 Aug. 2025 Mitchell, who specialized in epigraphy, had found an inscription indicating that a local citizen, Domitius Samos, erected it to commemorate a Roman victory in the Persian Wars in A.D. 233. Joshua Hammer, Smithsonian Magazine, 15 May 2024 The specialists hailed not just from the field of archaeology, but also from several disciplines, including geology; archaeobotany, the study of ancient plants; epigraphy, the study of inscriptions, and numismatics, the study of ancient coins. Patrick Smith, NBC News, 8 Nov. 2022 The team tested the system by comparing Pythia's results on completing 2,949 inscriptions with those of Oxford graduate students in epigraphy. Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 10 Mar. 2022 But his forays into epigraphy were perhaps less accomplished and won him mostly skepticism and ridicule from the scientific community. Stephen C. George, Discover Magazine, 3 Feb. 2021

Word History

Etymology

epigraph + -y entry 2

First Known Use

1851, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of epigraphy was in 1851

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Cite this Entry

“Epigraphy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/epigraphy. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.

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