Epigraph

Ep"i*graph (?), n. [Gr. ?, fr. ?: cf. F. épigraphe. See Epigram.] 1. Any inscription set upon a building; especially, one which has to do with the building itself, its founding or dedication.

2. (Literature) A citation from some author, or a sentence framed for the purpose, placed at the beginning of a work or of its separate divisions; a motto.