Standard Lemma guide

bookplate

noun · verb · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

No pronunciation record was provided for this word.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A printed piece of paper pasted on one of the pages of a book, most often on the inside front cover, showing ownership and thus deterring theft.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

verb

Meaning 2

To affix a bookplate to (a book).

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

a label identifying the owner of a book in which it is pasted

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: ex libris

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: gummed label, sticker, paster

History

Etymology

From book + plate.

Across languages

Translations

15 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: екслибрис (ekslibris) — piece of paper pasted on a book to show ownership
  • Chinese Mandarin: 藏書票 /藏书票 (cángshūpiào) — piece of paper pasted on a book to show ownership
  • Esperanto: ekslibriso — piece of paper pasted on a book to show ownership
  • Estonian: eksliibris — piece of paper pasted on a book to show ownership
  • Finnish: exlibris — piece of paper pasted on a book to show ownership
  • French: ex-libris — piece of paper pasted on a book to show ownership
  • French: ex libris — piece of paper pasted on a book to show ownership
  • German: Exlibris — piece of paper pasted on a book to show ownership
  • Italian: ex libris — piece of paper pasted on a book to show ownership
  • Lithuanian: ekslibrisas — piece of paper pasted on a book to show ownership
  • Polish: ekslibris — piece of paper pasted on a book to show ownership
  • Portuguese: ex-libris — piece of paper pasted on a book to show ownership
  • Spanish: ex libris — piece of paper pasted on a book to show ownership
  • Swedish: exlibris — piece of paper pasted on a book to show ownership
  • Swedish: exlibrismärke — piece of paper pasted on a book to show ownership