inscription

noun4

1. •
   Text carved on a wall or plaque, such as a memorial or gravestone, or on some other item.

   • He had battled like a man, and gotten a man's reward — no silver tea-pots or salvers, with flowery inscriptions setting forth his virtues and the appreciation of a genteel parish; […] — 1857
2. •
   The text on a coin.

   • The coin bears an inscription in Latin.
3. •
   Words written in the front of a book as a dedication.
4. •
   The act of inscribing.