n.
- a small piece of paper, fabric, etc. attached to an object and giving information about it.
▸a piece of fabric sewn inside a garment and bearing the brand name, size, or care instructions.
- the name or trademark of a fashion company.
▸a company that produces recorded music.
- a classifying name applied to a person or thing, especially inaccurately.
▸(in a dictionary entry) a word or words used to specify the subject area, register, or geographical origin of the word being defined.
▸Computing a string of characters used to refer to a particular instruction in a program.
- Biology & Chemistry a radioactive isotope, fluorescent dye, or enzyme used to make something identifiable.
- Heraldry a narrow horizontal strip superimposed on a coat of arms by an eldest son during the life of his father.
- Architecture another term for dripstone.
v.
(labels, labelling, labelled; US labels, labeling, labeled)
- attach a label to.
- assign to a category, especially inaccurately.
- Biology & Chemistry make (a substance, cell, etc.) identifiable using a label.
Derivative
Etymology
ME: from OFr., ‘ribbon’, prob. of Gmc origin and rel. to lap1.