label
pronunciation
How to pronounce label in British English:
UK [ˈleɪbl]
How to pronounce label in American English:
US [ˈleɪbl]
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- Noun:
- a brief description given for purposes of identification
- trade name of a company that produces musical recordings
- a radioactive isotope that is used in a compound in order to trace the mechanism of a chemical reaction
- an identifying or descriptive marker that is attached to an object
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- Verb:
- assign a label to; designate with a label
- attach a tag or label to
- pronounce judgment on
- distinguish (as a compound or molecule) by introducing a labeled atom
- distinguish (an element or atom) by using a radioactive isotope or an isotope of unusual mass for tracing through chemical reactions
Word Origin
- label
- label: see lap
- label (n.)
- c. 1300, "narrow band or strip of cloth" (oldest use is as a technical term in heraldry), from Old French label, lambel "ribbon, fringe worn on clothes" (13c., Modern French lambeau "strip, rag, shred, tatter"), possibly from Frankish *labba or some other Germanic source (compare Old High German lappa "flap"), from Proto-Germanic *lapp- (see lap (n.)). Later "dangling strip of cloth or ribbon used as an ornament in dress," "strip attached to a document to hold a seal" (both early 15c.), and with a general meaning "tag, sticker, slip of paper" (1670s). Meaning "circular piece of paper in the center of a gramophone record" (1907), containing information about the recorded music, led to meaning "a recording company" (1947).
- label (v.)
- "to affix a label to," c. 1600, see label (n.); figurative sense of "to categorize" is from 1853. Related: Labeled; labeling; labelled; labelling.
Example
- 1. The nutrition label won 't mention you these facts .
- 2. Some people find it helps to label the thoughts .
- 3. He may label actual family members as friends or contacts .
- 4. Label each line with a different intelligence .
- 5. That suggests you should buy plonk with a nice label and a clear conscience .