Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. An inscription placed usually at the end of a book, giving facts about its publication.
- n. A publisher's emblem or trademark placed usually on the title page of a book.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. An emblematic device, or a note, especially one relating to the circumstances of production, as the printer's or scribe's names place, and date, put at the conclusion of a book or manuscript.
- n. The end of a book; the word “finis,” or “the end,” marking the conclusion of any printed work.
- n. [capitalized] [NL.] In zoology: A genus of coleopterous insects.
- n. A genus of arachnidans.
Wiktionary
- n. In manuscripts (typically before the invention of printing), the note, usually at the end, left by the scribe who copied it, giving information on his exemplar, where and when the copy was made, and sometimes, his own name.
- n. A printer's or publisher's identifying inscription or logo appearing at the end of a book, or the same appearing on the spine or dust-jacket.
- n. Internet A page on a website identifying the details of its creation, such as the author's name and the technologies used.
GNU Webster's 1913
- n. An inscription, monogram, or cipher, containing the place and date of publication, printer's name, etc., formerly placed on the last page of a book.
WordNet 3.0
- n. a publisher's emblem printed in a book (usually on the title page)
Etymologies
- from Ancient Greek κολοφών (kolophon, "peak or finishing touch") (Wiktionary)
- Late Latin colophōn, from Greek kolophōn, summit, finishing touch; see kel-2 in Indo-European roots. (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)
Examples
“The colophon is numbered (50 copies) and signed by Robert Reid.”
“As, however, the colophon is unmistakably clear as to date, and as that date is but two years subsequent to the events narrated in the poem, we may at least assume that the papyrus is a contemporary document.”
“Bantam Books is a registered trademark of Random House, Inc., and the colophon is a trademark of Random House,”
“Bantam Books is a registered trademark of Random House, Inc., and the colophon is a trademark of Random House, Inc. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data”
“Dell is a registered trademark of Random House, Inc., and the colophon is a trademark of Random House, Inc.”
“N.Y. Dell is a registered trademark of Random House, Inc., and the colophon is a trademark of Random House, Inc. Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 2001028313 ISBN: 0-440-23657-6”
“Gramercy is a registered trademark and the colophon is a trademark of”
“DEVICE The printer’s or publisher’s imprint, sometimes referred to as a colophon, usually found on the copyright page when present (uncommon now).”
“In literature, as in law and war, the favourite method of offensive defence is to reserve your _triarii_, your "colophon" of arms or arguement, to the last; but there are cases in all three where it is best to carry an important point at once and hold it.”
A History of the French Novel, Vol. 2 To the Close of the 19th Century
“All rights reserved Copyright " 2007 by Lee Child Delacorte Press is a registered trademark of Random House, Inc., and the colophon is a trademark of Random House, Inc.”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘colophon’.
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Iaan
dirigisme, dystopia, cacotopia, ex ante, veritable, indefatigable, curmudgeon, desultory, antediluvian, transmogrify, pendent, elongate and 269 more...
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Another 250 Spelling Words
Another range of words from the intermediate to the advanced speller's level.
cherimoya, parthenogenesis, sommelier, bupkis, kichel, voulge, indivisibility, retiarius, sewellel, vihuela, ossature, jalfrezi and 238 more...
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Words without the letter E
chord, slur, anabaptist, anabolic, diabolic, turbid, torpid, somniloquist, trump, bipolar, dioxin, hydrocarbon and 107 more...
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phrontistery - c
from phrontistery.info
caballine, cabas, cable, caboched, cabochon, caboose, cabotage, cabré, cabrie, cabriole, cabriolet, cacaesthesia and 1298 more...
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The Bindery
A list of bookbinding terms and phrases, for assembling new or repairing/reassembling old books.
perfect binding, animal glue, spine, textblock, polyvinyl acetate, double-fan adhesi..., board, backing, rounding, bone, book cloth, pasteboard and 270 more...
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Words build meanings from origins( et...
These come from gamma meditation ,I think.
discursive, exogenous, machinations, purportedly, sumptuous, congruity, cantankerous, incongruous, festoon, hessian, ratiocinative, stratigraphic and 2046 more...
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Distinguishing Marks
assay-mark, stamp, seal, cedula, cartouse, cachet, brand, mark, hallmark, armorial device, coat of arms, emblem and 150 more...
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Thresholds
we are all just passing through.
(boundaries, portals and liminal spaces/times)cockcrow, interface, thin line, portal, postern, littoral, portico, porch, stoop, strand, liminal, limen and 304 more...
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cicatrix
scar tissue
minatory, naira, Cluniac, embracive, prolix, hierophant, timorous, adduce, veracious, dysphoric, sang-froid, vitiate and 503 more...
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Resonant words
conflagration, cascando, fianchetto, incarnadine, oubliette, colophon, hegemony, omertà, cavalier, scrivener, armistice, pastiche
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forms/acts: art
threnody, eisegesis, imbricate, screed, lapis, requiem, colophon, homunculus, deus ex machina, apophthegm, anastrophe, anaphora and 47 more...
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Words to research
balkanize, obstreperous, dysphoria, euphoria, sinecure, abstruse, chin music, colophon, signature, notwithstanding, nullity, nullity of a dete... and 26 more...
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Dudgeon and Dragging
They're not actually from fantasy or science fiction writing, but they certainly sound as though they could have been...
sourcender, zargari, glycyrrhizin, shibboleth, dyschezia, physiocrat, elastomer, skellefteälven, guadalquivir, alluvion, pentacrinite, hydrophyte and 22 more...
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New to Me
anodyne, salient, ecumenical, salubrious, invective, incendiary, colophon, stola, druthers, syllogism, geodesic, quant and 16 more...
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ancient signs
ouroboros, calypso, la sirene, Medusa, chthonic, aureole, colophon, succubus, peri, homunculus, zephyr, numinous and 56 more...
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graphism
of or related to drawing—forms, tools, techniques, processes, practices, etc.
limn, vectorial, limned, synecdoche, adumbrate, lapis, colophon, grapheme, isogloss, sciagraphy, palimpsest, homunculus and 18 more...
Tweets
Looking for tweets for colophon.

ruzuzu Also, apparently, an ancient Greek city of Asia Minor. See Colophon.
Feb 6, 2011
frindley A word of beauty to a typography nerd. Apr 10, 2008