Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun An illustration that faces or immediately precedes the title page of a book, book section, or magazine.
- noun Archaic A title page.
- noun A façade, especially an ornamental façade.
- noun A small ornamental pediment, as on top of a door or window.
from The Century Dictionary.
- To furnish with a frontispiece.
- To use as a frontispiece: as, to
frontispiece a map. - noun That which is seen in front, or which directly presents itself to the eye.
- noun A print or engraving placed in front of the title of a book.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun (Arch.), Obs. or R. The principal front of a building.
- noun An ornamental figure or illustration fronting the first page, or titlepage, of a book; formerly, the titlepage itself.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun publishing An
illustration that is on thepage before thetitle page of abook , a section of one, or amagazine . - noun archaic, publishing The title page of a book.
- noun architecture A
façade , especially anornamental one. - noun architecture A small
pediment of which is ornamental, especially on the top of awindow ordoor .
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun front illustration facing the title page of a book
- noun an ornamental facade
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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Blair's The Grave, "The Reunion of the Soul & the Body" and "The Soul hovering over the Body reluctantly parting with Life" (56-58), but does not reproduce or specifically discuss "Death's Door," and includes nine facsimiles: the frontispiece is a reduction of
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At the sale of the original drawings executed by 'Phiz' for _Martin Chuzzlewit_ this frontispiece, which is an epitome of the salient characters and scenes in the novel, was sold for £35.
Charles Dickens and Music James T. Lightwood
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My copy has two titles, the first being an engraved one, with ten small circles round it, containing hieroglyphical figures, and an engraved frontispiece, which is repeated in the volume, with some other cuts.
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The frontispiece is a coarsely executed wood cut, divided into six compartments, and representing the six days of the creation.
The Symbolism of Freemasonry Albert G. Mackey
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The portrait of Signorelli in the frontispiece is the half of this painting.
Luca Signorelli Maud Cruttwell
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The frontispiece was a coloured picture of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden surrounded by amiable lions, benevolent tigers, ingratiating bears and leopards and wolves.
The Altar Steps Compton MacKenzie 1927
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The frontispiece is a picture of the author, the Rev.C. R. Dawson, Cumberland, Md., and Rev. Gustave H. Caution, assistant to us, by the appointment of his Bishop.
History of the Afro-American Group of the Episcopal Church George Freeman 1922
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The frontispiece was a photograph of Captain Jim himself, standing at the door of the lighthouse, looking across the gulf.
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Bibliography of his works, of which the frontispiece is a portrait of
The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume 11: New Mexico-Philip 1840-1916 1913
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'Phiz' for Martin Chuzzlewit this frontispiece, which is an epitome of the salient characters and scenes in the novel, was sold for L35.
Charles Dickens and Music Lightwood, James T 1912
reesetee commented on the word frontispiece
Also simply frontis; the plate facing a book's title page.
February 25, 2008