ə̇nzˈkripshən, ə̇nˈsk- noun
Etymology: Middle English inscripcioun superscription, heading, from Latin inscription-, inscriptio act of writing upon, inscription on a monument, title, from inscriptus (past participle of inscribere to inscribe) + -ion-, -io -ion
1. : something that is inscribed: as
a. : a text inscribed in order to form a lasting or public record (as on a monument, tablet, pillar, wall)
b. : a brief description of the character, contents, authorship, or occasion of a book or other composition placed at its beginning : title , superscription , heading
c.
(1) : a name and often a message prefixed to a work of literature addressing it to someone in a style or manner less formal than that of a dedication
(2) : epigraph 2
d. : the wording on a coin, medal, seal, stamp, or currency note : legend
2. archaic : a tendinous line intersecting a muscle
3.
a. : the act or process of inscribing
b. : the writing of characters in a particular format in cryptology ; especially : the writing of the characters of a plaintext message along an agreed-upon route in an agreed-upon geometrical pattern before copying them off in another order to make a transposition cipher
c. : the entering of a name on or as if on a list : enrollment
4. Britain
a. : the act of inscribing securities
b. inscriptions plural : inscribed securities
5. : the part of a medical prescription that contains the names and quantities of the drugs to be compounded