Incipit

The opening words of a text, from the Latin verb incipere ('to begin').

The opening words of a text, from the Latin verb incipere ('to begin'). The incipit and explicit of a book or text are often used in place of a title to identify a text.

  • German:
    Incipit

Michelle Brown, Understanding Illuminated Manuscripts (Malibu, CA: J. Paul Getty Museum in association with the British Library, c1994).