epigraph
/ˈɛpɪɡrɑːf
/noun
1An inscription on a building, statue, or coin.The epigraph could be seen clearly on the pillars and walls.
2A short quotation or saying at the beginning of a book or chapter, intended to suggest its theme.The satirical structure and style of the novel are suggested by an epigraph from Mark Twain's travel book....
- Each of the twelve poems in the third section of the book sports an epigraph from a Emerson essay.
- The epigraph, a quotation from Dante, further obscures the atmosphere.
Origin
Late 16th century (denoting the heading of a document or letter): from Greek epigraphē, from epigraphein 'write on'.