frontispiece

English

Etymology

From Middle French frontispice, from Latin frontispicium, from frōns (“forehead”) + specere (“look at”). Spelling altered due to folk etymology, influenced by piece.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈfɹʌn.tɪˌspiːs/

Noun

frontispiece (plural frontispieces)

(publishing) An illustration that is on the page before the title page of a book, a section of one, or a magazine.
(archaic, publishing) The title page of a book.
(architecture) A façade, especially an ornamental one.
(architecture) A small ornamental pediment, especially at the top of a window or door.

Translations

publishing: illustration

Catalan: frontispici (ca) m
Chinese:
Mandarin: 卷首插画
Czech: frontispis m
Dutch: frontispice, frontispies
Finnish: frontespiisi (fi), nimiönliite, esiökuva
French: frontispice (fr) m
German: Frontispiz (de) n

Ido: frontispico (io)
Italian: frontespizio (it) m
Polish: frontyspis (pl)
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

publishing: title page — see title page

façade

Catalan: frontispici (ca) m
Finnish: julkisivu (fi), paraatipuoli
Ido: frontispico (io)

Russian: фронто́н (ru) m (frontón), фронти́спис (ru) m (frontíspis), фронтиспи́с (ru) m (frontispís), фаса́д (ru) m (fasád)
Swedish: frontespis (sv) c

small ornamental pediment

Swedish: frontespis (sv) c

Verb

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

(transitive, rare) To supply with a frontispiece.
The novel was frontispieced with a portrait of the author.

References

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