frontispiece

English

Alternative forms

• frontipiece (dated), frontispice (archaic)

Etymology

From Middle French frontispice, from Italian frontespizio or Medieval Latin frontispicium, from Latin frōns (“forehead”, oblique stem in front-) +‎ -spic- (“to watch”, combining form of speciō) +‎ -ium. Spelling altered due to folk etymology, influenced by piece.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈfɹʌn.tɪsˌpiːs/, /ˈfɹɒn.tɪsˌpiːs/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈfɹʌn.tɪsˌpis/, /ˈfɹɑn.tɪsˌpis/

Noun

frontispiece (plural frontispieces)

1. (publishing) An illustration that is on the page before the title page of a book, a section of one, or a magazine.

   Coordinate term: headpiece

   • 1939 September, D. S. Barrie, “The Railways of South Wales”, in Railway Magazine, page 163:

     The viaduct was illustrated as a frontispiece to THE RAILWAY MAGAZINE of September, 1938. [In this case, the frontispiece is between the title page and the first article.]

2. (archaic, publishing) The title page of a book.
3. (architecture) A façade, especially an ornamental one.
4. (architecture) A small ornamental pediment, especially at the top of a window or door.
5. (slang, archaic, humorous) A person's face.
   • 1844, George Pope Morris, Nathaniel Parker Willis, The New Mirror, volume 3, page 99:

     He carries on his frontispiece the indubitable marks of a money-dealer. His is one of those peculiar faces […]

Translations

publishing: illustration

• Catalan: frontispici (ca) m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 卷首插画

• Czech: frontispis m
• Danish: frontispice c
• Dutch: frontispice (nl), frontispies (nl)
• Esperanto: frontispico
• Finnish: frontespiisi (fi), nimiönliite, esiökuva
• French: frontispice (fr) m
• German: Frontispiz (de) n
• Ido: frontispico (io)
• Italian: frontespizio (it) m
• Polish: frontyspis (pl) m
• Portuguese: frontispício (pt) m
• Romanian: frontispiciu (ro)
• Russian: фронти́спис (ru) m (frontíspis), фронтиспи́с (ru) m (frontispís)
• Spanish: frontispicio (es) m
• Swedish: frontespis (sv) c, vinjettbild c, vinjettplansch c, titelplansch c

publishing: title page — see title page

façade

• Catalan: frontispici (ca) m
• Danish: frontispice c
• Finnish: julkisivu (fi), paraatipuoli
• French: frontispice (fr) m
• Ido: frontispico (io)
• Polish: fronton (pl) m
• Portuguese: frontispício (pt) m
• Russian: фронто́н (ru) m (frontón), фронти́спис (ru) m (frontíspis), фронтиспи́с (ru) m (frontispís), фаса́д (ru) m (fasád)
• Spanish: frontispicio (es) m
• Swedish: frontespis (sv) c

small ornamental pediment

• German: Frontspieß m, Frontispiz (de) n, Fronton n, Giebelfeld n, Giebeldreieck n, Friesengiebel m, Kapitänsgiebel m, Tempelgiebel m, Bekrönung f
• Polish: fronton (pl) m
• Swedish: frontespis (sv) c

Verb

frontispiece (third-person singular simple present frontispieces, present participle frontispiecing, simple past and past participle frontispieced)

1. (transitive, rare) To supply with a frontispiece.

   The novel was frontispieced with a portrait of the author.

References

• Michael Quinion (2004), “Frontispiece”, in Ballyhoo, Buckaroo, and Spuds: Ingenious Tales of Words and Their Origins, Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Books in association with Penguin Books, →ISBN.