Link Centre Dictionary

label

la·bel

UK/ˈleɪ.bəl/ US/ˈleɪ.bɫ̩/ fairly common
verb (5) noun (4)

verb

1.

assign a label to; designate with a label

  • “These students were labelled”
  • “'”
2.

attach a tag or label to

  • “label these bottles”
Synonyms
3.

pronounce judgment on

  • “They labeled him unfit to work here”
Synonyms
4.

distinguish (as a compound or molecule) by introducing a labeled atom

5.

distinguish (an element or atom) by using a radioactive isotope or an isotope of unusual mass for tracing through chemical reactions

noun

1.

a brief description given for purposes of identification

  • “the label Modern is applied to many different kinds of architecture”
2.

trade name of a company that produces musical recordings

  • “the artists and repertoire department of a recording label is responsible for finding new talent”
Synonyms
3.

a radioactive isotope that is used in a compound in order to trace the mechanism of a chemical reaction

4.

an identifying or descriptive marker that is attached to an object

Origin

From Middle English label (“narrow band, strip of cloth”), from Old French label, lambel (Modern French lambeau), from Frankish *lappā (“torn piece of cloth”), from Proto-Germanic *lappǭ, *lappô (“cloth stuff, rag, scraps, flap, dewlap, lobe, rabbit ear”), from Proto-Indo-European *leb- (“blade”). Cognate with Old High German lappa (“rag, piece of cloth”), Old English læppa (“skirt, flap of a garment”). More at lap.

Phrases

  • book label
  • charity label
  • clean label
  • designer label
  • green label
  • label cloud
  • matchbox label
  • off label

Related words

Word family

Broader terms

Narrower terms

See also

Related verbs

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.