Inscription

noun

/ɪnˈskrɪpʃən/

Text carved or engraved on a durable surface such as stone, metal, or temple walls, serving as an official record of royal edicts, land grants, administrative procedures, or religious dedications.

✍️ Usage in a UPSC answer

The weathered Ashokan inscriptions, etched in Brahmi across pillars and rock faces, remain among the earliest documentary evidence of statecraft in India, revealing how a sovereign sought to institutionalise dhamma as the moral grammar of public administration.

Synonyms

engravingepigraphletteringdedicationlegendepitaph

Antonyms

erasureeffacementblank

🌱 Word Family

inscribe (v), inscribed (adj), inscriber (n), inscriptional (adj), epigraph (n, related)

🔡 Root

Latin inscriptio = a writing upon; in- = onto; scribere = to write

📜 Etymology

From Latin inscriptio ("a writing upon"), from inscribere ("to write upon"), combining in- ("into, onto") and scribere ("to write"); entered English in the late Middle English period.

🧠 Memory Hook

In + scribe (to write): an INSCRIPTION is what a scribe writes IN or upon stone -- the same 'scrib/script' root as scribble, script and describe.

📝 Seen in UPSC Question Papers

Prelims 2020 — Ancient India

Real UPSC previous-year questions whose text uses “Inscription” — proof this word earns its place on your list.

🏛️ History & Culture 📖 Seen in: Chola Dynasty & South Indian Powers

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