label.
A small ticket or sign giving information about something to which it is attached or intended to be attached.
Meaning & usage
A small ticket or sign giving information about something to which it is attached or intended to be attached.
We laughed at her because the label was still on her new sweater.
The label says this silk scarf should not be washed in the washing machine.
A name given to something or someone to categorise them as part of a particular social group.
Ever since he started going to the rock club, he's been given the label "waster".
A company that sells records.
The label signed the band after hearing a demo tape.
A user-defined alias for a numerical designation, the reverse of an enumeration.
Storage devices can be given by label or ID.
A named place in source code that can be jumped to using a GOTO or equivalent construct.
A charge resembling the strap crossing the horse’s chest from which pendants are hung.
A tassel.
A small strip, especially of paper or parchment (or of some material attached to parchment to carry the seal), but also of iron, brass, land, etc.
A piece of writing added to something, such as a codicil appended to a will.
A brass rule with sights, formerly used with a circumferentor to take altitudes.
The projecting moulding by the sides, and over the tops, of openings in mediaeval architecture.
In mediaeval and later art, a representation of a band or scroll containing an inscription.
A non-interactive control or widget displaying text, often used to describe the purpose of another control.
Where this word comes from
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.
To put a label (a ticket or sign) on (something).
The shop assistant labeled all the products in the shop.
To give (a label) to (someone or something) in order to categorise that person or thing.
He's been unfairly labeled as a cheat, although he's only ever cheated once.
To replace specific atoms by their isotope in order to track the presence or movement of this isotope through a reaction, metabolic pathway or cell.
To add a detectable substance, either transiently or permanently, to a biological substance in order to track the presence of the label-substance combination either in situ or in vitro
Where this word comes from
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.
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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.
Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.