Title

Part of speech: noun, verb

Pronunciation: /ˈtaɪ.tl̩/

Definitions

1. The name given to a book, film, or other artistic work ; a particular designation or rank held by someone, such as Lord or Doctor ; the legal right to own something, especially property
2. A label identifying the name of a creative work ; an official position or honorific ; the recognized claim of legal ownership over property
3. The identifying name of a written or creative work ; an official designation or status conferred on a person ; the right to possess something by law

Etymology: The Latin "titulus" once meant an inscription, and many of its descendants keep that original sense alive in surprising places. Romans used it for the painted or carved label that announced what a monument or building was, or for the placard on a victor's display. Over time it passed into Old English as "titul," meaning a heading or superscription, so a title began as a piece of writing placed on or above something else before it came to name the thing itself. The same Latin root produced several words that look unrelated today. "Tilde," the wavy mark over the n in Spanish "señor," comes from a scribal abbreviation sign that was once written as a small stroke over a letter. "Tittle," the dot over a lowercase i or j, and "titer" or "titre," a measure of concentration in chemistry, are also doublets of the same word, each taking a different path into English.

Synonyms: heading, label, caption, designation, name

Antonyms: subtitle, appendix, postscript, footnote, addendum