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</button> <ul id="toc-Historical_examples-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> <li id="toc-Sumerian" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Sumerian"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">1.1</span> <span>Sumerian</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Sumerian-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Hebrew" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Hebrew"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">1.2</span> <span>Hebrew</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Hebrew-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Ancient_Greek" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Ancient_Greek"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">1.3</span> <span>Ancient Greek</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Ancient_Greek-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Classical_Arabic" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Classical_Arabic"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">1.4</span> <span>Classical Arabic</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Classical_Arabic-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Medieval_Europe" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Medieval_Europe"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">1.5</span> <span>Medieval Europe</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Medieval_Europe-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Papal_bulls" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Papal_bulls"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">1.6</span> <span>Papal bulls</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Papal_bulls-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Hindu_texts" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Hindu_texts"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">1.7</span> <span>Hindu texts</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Hindu_texts-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Modern_uses_of_incipits" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Modern_uses_of_incipits"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">2</span> <span>Modern uses of incipits</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Modern_uses_of_incipits-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-In_music" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#In_music"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">3</span> <span>In music</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-In_music-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-In_computer_science" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#In_computer_science"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">4</span> <span>In computer science</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-In_computer_science-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-See_also" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#See_also"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">5</span> <span>See also</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-See_also-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Notes" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Notes"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">6</span> <span>Notes</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Notes-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-References" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#References"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">7</span> <span>References</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-References-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> </ul> </div> </div> </nav> </div> </div> <div class="mw-content-container"> <main id="content" class="mw-body"> <header class="mw-body-header vector-page-titlebar"> <nav aria-label="Contents" class="vector-toc-landmark"> <div id="vector-page-titlebar-toc" class="vector-dropdown vector-page-titlebar-toc vector-button-flush-left" > <input type="checkbox" id="vector-page-titlebar-toc-checkbox" role="button" aria-haspopup="true" data-event-name="ui.dropdown-vector-page-titlebar-toc" class="vector-dropdown-checkbox " aria-label="Toggle the table of contents" > <label id="vector-page-titlebar-toc-label" for="vector-page-titlebar-toc-checkbox" class="vector-dropdown-label cdx-button cdx-button--fake-button cdx-button--fake-button--enabled cdx-button--weight-quiet cdx-button--icon-only " aria-hidden="true" ><span class="vector-icon mw-ui-icon-listBullet mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-listBullet"></span> <span class="vector-dropdown-label-text">Toggle the table of contents</span> </label> <div class="vector-dropdown-content"> <div id="vector-page-titlebar-toc-unpinned-container" class="vector-unpinned-container"> </div> </div> </div> </nav> <h1 id="firstHeading" class="firstHeading mw-first-heading"><span class="mw-page-title-main">Incipit</span></h1> <div id="p-lang-btn" class="vector-dropdown mw-portlet mw-portlet-lang" > <input type="checkbox" id="p-lang-btn-checkbox" role="button" aria-haspopup="true" data-event-name="ui.dropdown-p-lang-btn" class="vector-dropdown-checkbox mw-interlanguage-selector" aria-label="Go to an article in another language. Available in 26 languages" > <label id="p-lang-btn-label" for="p-lang-btn-checkbox" class="vector-dropdown-label cdx-button cdx-button--fake-button cdx-button--fake-button--enabled cdx-button--weight-quiet cdx-button--action-progressive mw-portlet-lang-heading-26" aria-hidden="true" ><span class="vector-icon mw-ui-icon-language-progressive mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-language-progressive"></span> <span class="vector-dropdown-label-text">26 languages</span> </label> <div class="vector-dropdown-content"> <div class="vector-menu-content"> <ul class="vector-menu-content-list"> <li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ar mw-list-item"><a href="https://ar.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D9%85%D8%B3%D8%AA%D9%87%D9%84" title="مستهل – Arabic" lang="ar" hreflang="ar" data-title="مستهل" data-language-autonym="العربية" data-language-local-name="Arabic" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>العربية</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ca mw-list-item"><a href="https://ca.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%8Dncipit" title="Íncipit – Catalan" lang="ca" hreflang="ca" data-title="Íncipit" data-language-autonym="Català" data-language-local-name="Catalan" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Català</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-cs mw-list-item"><a href="https://cs.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incipit" title="Incipit – Czech" lang="cs" hreflang="cs" data-title="Incipit" data-language-autonym="Čeština" data-language-local-name="Czech" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Čeština</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-da mw-list-item"><a href="https://da.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incipit" title="Incipit – Danish" lang="da" hreflang="da" data-title="Incipit" data-language-autonym="Dansk" data-language-local-name="Danish" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Dansk</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-de mw-list-item"><a href="https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incipit" title="Incipit – German" lang="de" hreflang="de" data-title="Incipit" data-language-autonym="Deutsch" data-language-local-name="German" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Deutsch</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-et mw-list-item"><a href="https://et.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incipit" title="Incipit – Estonian" lang="et" hreflang="et" data-title="Incipit" data-language-autonym="Eesti" data-language-local-name="Estonian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Eesti</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-es mw-list-item"><a href="https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%8Dncipit" title="Íncipit – Spanish" lang="es" hreflang="es" data-title="Íncipit" data-language-autonym="Español" data-language-local-name="Spanish" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Español</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-eo mw-list-item"><a href="https://eo.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incipit" title="Incipit – Esperanto" lang="eo" hreflang="eo" data-title="Incipit" data-language-autonym="Esperanto" data-language-local-name="Esperanto" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Esperanto</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-eu mw-list-item"><a href="https://eu.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incipit" title="Incipit – Basque" lang="eu" hreflang="eu" data-title="Incipit" data-language-autonym="Euskara" data-language-local-name="Basque" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Euskara</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-fr mw-list-item"><a href="https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incipit" title="Incipit – French" lang="fr" hreflang="fr" data-title="Incipit" data-language-autonym="Français" data-language-local-name="French" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Français</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-hr mw-list-item"><a href="https://hr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incipit" title="Incipit – Croatian" lang="hr" hreflang="hr" data-title="Incipit" data-language-autonym="Hrvatski" data-language-local-name="Croatian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Hrvatski</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-id mw-list-item"><a href="https://id.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incipit" title="Incipit – Indonesian" lang="id" hreflang="id" data-title="Incipit" data-language-autonym="Bahasa Indonesia" data-language-local-name="Indonesian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Bahasa Indonesia</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-it mw-list-item"><a href="https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incipit" title="Incipit – Italian" lang="it" hreflang="it" data-title="Incipit" data-language-autonym="Italiano" data-language-local-name="Italian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Italiano</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-he mw-list-item"><a href="https://he.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D7%90%D7%99%D7%A0%D7%A6%D7%99%D7%A4%D7%99%D7%98" title="אינציפיט – Hebrew" lang="he" hreflang="he" data-title="אינציפיט" data-language-autonym="עברית" data-language-local-name="Hebrew" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>עברית</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-la mw-list-item"><a href="https://la.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incipit" title="Incipit – Latin" lang="la" hreflang="la" data-title="Incipit" data-language-autonym="Latina" data-language-local-name="Latin" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Latina</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-nl mw-list-item"><a href="https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incipit" title="Incipit – Dutch" lang="nl" hreflang="nl" data-title="Incipit" data-language-autonym="Nederlands" data-language-local-name="Dutch" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Nederlands</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ja mw-list-item"><a href="https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%82%A4%E3%83%B3%E3%82%AD%E3%83%94%E3%83%83%E3%83%88" title="インキピット – Japanese" lang="ja" hreflang="ja" data-title="インキピット" data-language-autonym="日本語" data-language-local-name="Japanese" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>日本語</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-no mw-list-item"><a href="https://no.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incipit" title="Incipit – Norwegian Bokmål" lang="nb" hreflang="nb" data-title="Incipit" data-language-autonym="Norsk bokmål" data-language-local-name="Norwegian Bokmål" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Norsk bokmål</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-pl mw-list-item"><a href="https://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incipit" title="Incipit – Polish" lang="pl" hreflang="pl" data-title="Incipit" data-language-autonym="Polski" data-language-local-name="Polish" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Polski</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-pt mw-list-item"><a href="https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incipit" title="Incipit – Portuguese" lang="pt" hreflang="pt" data-title="Incipit" data-language-autonym="Português" data-language-local-name="Portuguese" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Português</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ro mw-list-item"><a href="https://ro.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incipit" title="Incipit – Romanian" lang="ro" hreflang="ro" data-title="Incipit" data-language-autonym="Română" data-language-local-name="Romanian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Română</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ru mw-list-item"><a href="https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%98%D0%BD%D1%86%D0%B8%D0%BF%D0%B8%D1%82" title="Инципит – Russian" lang="ru" hreflang="ru" data-title="Инципит" data-language-autonym="Русский" data-language-local-name="Russian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Русский</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-sk mw-list-item"><a href="https://sk.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incipit" title="Incipit – Slovak" lang="sk" hreflang="sk" data-title="Incipit" data-language-autonym="Slovenčina" data-language-local-name="Slovak" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Slovenčina</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-sv mw-list-item"><a href="https://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incipit" title="Incipit – Swedish" lang="sv" hreflang="sv" data-title="Incipit" data-language-autonym="Svenska" data-language-local-name="Swedish" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Svenska</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-uk mw-list-item"><a href="https://uk.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%86%D0%BD%D1%86%D0%B8%D0%BF%D1%96%D1%82" title="Інципіт – Ukrainian" lang="uk" hreflang="uk" data-title="Інципіт" data-language-autonym="Українська" data-language-local-name="Ukrainian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Українська</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-wa mw-list-item"><a href="https://wa.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incipite" title="Incipite – Walloon" lang="wa" hreflang="wa" data-title="Incipite" data-language-autonym="Walon" data-language-local-name="Walloon" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Walon</span></a></li> </ul> <div class="after-portlet after-portlet-lang"><span class="wb-langlinks-edit wb-langlinks-link"><a href="https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Special:EntityPage/Q1161138#sitelinks-wikipedia" title="Edit interlanguage links" class="wbc-editpage">Edit links</a></span></div> </div> </div> </div> </header> <div class="vector-page-toolbar"> <div class="vector-page-toolbar-container"> <div id="left-navigation"> <nav aria-label="Namespaces"> <div id="p-associated-pages" class="vector-menu vector-menu-tabs mw-portlet mw-portlet-associated-pages" > <div class="vector-menu-content"> <ul class="vector-menu-content-list"> <li id="ca-nstab-main" class="selected vector-tab-noicon mw-list-item"><a href="/wiki/Incipit" title="View the content page [c]" accesskey="c"><span>Article</span></a></li><li id="ca-talk" class="vector-tab-noicon mw-list-item"><a href="/wiki/Talk:Incipit" rel="discussion" title="Discuss improvements to the content page 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</div> <div id="contentSub"><div id="mw-content-subtitle"></div></div> <div id="mw-content-text" class="mw-body-content"><div class="mw-content-ltr mw-parser-output" lang="en" dir="ltr"><div class="shortdescription nomobile noexcerpt noprint searchaux" style="display:none">First few words of a text used instead of a title</div> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1251242444">.mw-parser-output .ambox{border:1px solid #a2a9b1;border-left:10px solid #36c;background-color:#fbfbfb;box-sizing:border-box}.mw-parser-output .ambox+link+.ambox,.mw-parser-output .ambox+link+style+.ambox,.mw-parser-output .ambox+link+link+.ambox,.mw-parser-output .ambox+.mw-empty-elt+link+.ambox,.mw-parser-output .ambox+.mw-empty-elt+link+style+.ambox,.mw-parser-output .ambox+.mw-empty-elt+link+link+.ambox{margin-top:-1px}html body.mediawiki .mw-parser-output .ambox.mbox-small-left{margin:4px 1em 4px 0;overflow:hidden;width:238px;border-collapse:collapse;font-size:88%;line-height:1.25em}.mw-parser-output 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ambox-More_footnotes_needed" role="presentation"><tbody><tr><td class="mbox-image"><div class="mbox-image-div"><span typeof="mw:File"><span><img alt="" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a4/Text_document_with_red_question_mark.svg/40px-Text_document_with_red_question_mark.svg.png" decoding="async" width="40" height="40" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a4/Text_document_with_red_question_mark.svg/60px-Text_document_with_red_question_mark.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a4/Text_document_with_red_question_mark.svg/80px-Text_document_with_red_question_mark.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="48" data-file-height="48" /></span></span></div></td><td class="mbox-text"><div class="mbox-text-span">This article includes a list of <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Citing_sources#General_references" title="Wikipedia:Citing sources">general references</a>, but <b>it lacks sufficient corresponding <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Citing_sources#Inline_citations" title="Wikipedia:Citing sources">inline citations</a></b>.<span class="hide-when-compact"> Please help to <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:WikiProject_Reliability" title="Wikipedia:WikiProject Reliability">improve</a> this article by <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:When_to_cite" title="Wikipedia:When to cite">introducing</a> more precise citations.</span> <span class="date-container"><i>(<span class="date">January 2017</span>)</i></span><span class="hide-when-compact"><i> (<small><a href="/wiki/Help:Maintenance_template_removal" title="Help:Maintenance template removal">Learn how and when to remove this message</a></small>)</i></span></div></td></tr></tbody></table> <figure class="mw-default-size" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:Decorated_Incipit_Page_-_Google_Art_Project_(6850309).jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fe/Decorated_Incipit_Page_-_Google_Art_Project_%286850309%29.jpg/260px-Decorated_Incipit_Page_-_Google_Art_Project_%286850309%29.jpg" decoding="async" width="260" height="380" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fe/Decorated_Incipit_Page_-_Google_Art_Project_%286850309%29.jpg/390px-Decorated_Incipit_Page_-_Google_Art_Project_%286850309%29.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fe/Decorated_Incipit_Page_-_Google_Art_Project_%286850309%29.jpg/520px-Decorated_Incipit_Page_-_Google_Art_Project_%286850309%29.jpg 2x" data-file-width="3010" data-file-height="4398" /></a><figcaption>Decorated incipit page to the <a href="/wiki/Gospel_of_Matthew" title="Gospel of Matthew">Gospel of Matthew</a>, 1120–1140</figcaption></figure> <p>The <b>incipit</b> (<span class="rt-commentedText nowrap"><span class="IPA nopopups noexcerpt" lang="en-fonipa"><a href="/wiki/Help:IPA/English" title="Help:IPA/English">/<span style="border-bottom:1px dotted"><span title="/ˈ/: primary stress follows">ˈ</span><span title="/ɪ/: 'i' in 'kit'">ɪ</span><span title="'n' in 'nigh'">n</span><span title="'s' in 'sigh'">s</span><span title="/ɪ/: 'i' in 'kit'">ɪ</span><span title="'p' in 'pie'">p</span><span title="/ɪ/: 'i' in 'kit'">ɪ</span><span title="'t' in 'tie'">t</span></span>/</a></span></span> <a href="/wiki/Help:Pronunciation_respelling_key" title="Help:Pronunciation respelling key"><i title="English pronunciation respelling"><span style="font-size:90%">IN</span>-sip-it</i></a>)<sup id="cite_ref-3" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-3"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>a<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> of a text is the first few words of the text, employed as an identifying label. In a <a href="/wiki/Musical_composition" title="Musical composition">musical composition</a>, an incipit is an initial sequence of <a href="/wiki/Musical_note" title="Musical note">notes</a>, having the same purpose. The word <i>incipit</i> comes from <a href="/wiki/Latin" title="Latin">Latin</a> and means "it begins". Its counterpart taken from the ending of the text is the <a href="/wiki/Explicit_(text)" title="Explicit (text)">explicit</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-4" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-4"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>3<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>Before the development of <a href="/wiki/Title_(publishing)" title="Title (publishing)">titles</a>, texts were often referred to by their incipits, as with for example <i><a href="/wiki/Agnus_Dei_(liturgy)" class="mw-redirect" title="Agnus Dei (liturgy)">Agnus Dei</a></i>. During the <a href="/wiki/Medieval_period" class="mw-redirect" title="Medieval period">medieval period</a> in Europe, incipits were often written in a different <a href="/wiki/Typeface" title="Typeface">script</a> or colour from the rest of the work of which they were a part, and "incipit pages" might be heavily decorated with <a href="/wiki/Illuminated_manuscript" title="Illuminated manuscript">illumination</a>. Though the word <i>incipit</i> is Latin, the practice of the incipit predates <a href="/wiki/Classical_antiquity" title="Classical antiquity">classical antiquity</a> by several millennia and can be found in various parts of the world. Although not always called by the name of <i>incipit</i> today, the practice of referring to texts by their initial words remains commonplace. </p> <meta property="mw:PageProp/toc" /> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Historical_examples">Historical examples</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Incipit&action=edit&section=1" title="Edit section: Historical examples"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Sumerian">Sumerian</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Incipit&action=edit&section=2" title="Edit section: Sumerian"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>In the <a href="/wiki/Clay_tablet" title="Clay tablet">clay tablet</a> <a href="/wiki/Archive" title="Archive">archives</a> of <a href="/wiki/Sumer" title="Sumer">Sumer</a>, catalogs of documents were kept by making special catalog tablets containing the incipits of a given collection of tablets. </p><p>The catalog was meant to be used by the very limited number of official <a href="/wiki/Scribe" title="Scribe">scribes</a> who had access to the archives, and the width of a clay tablet and its resolution did not permit long entries. An example from Lerner (1998):<sup id="cite_ref-5" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-5"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>4<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1244412712">.mw-parser-output .templatequote{overflow:hidden;margin:1em 0;padding:0 32px}.mw-parser-output .templatequotecite{line-height:1.5em;text-align:left;margin-top:0}@media(min-width:500px){.mw-parser-output .templatequotecite{padding-left:1.6em}}</style><blockquote class="templatequote"><div class="poem"> <p>Honored and noble warrior<br /> Where are the sheep<br /> Where are the wild oxen<br /> And with you I did not<br /> In our city<br /> In former days </p> </div></blockquote> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Hebrew">Hebrew</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Incipit&action=edit&section=3" title="Edit section: Hebrew"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <figure class="mw-default-size" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:First_page_of_the_first_tractate_of_the_Talmud_(Daf_Beis_of_Maseches_Brachos).jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f2/First_page_of_the_first_tractate_of_the_Talmud_%28Daf_Beis_of_Maseches_Brachos%29.jpg/220px-First_page_of_the_first_tractate_of_the_Talmud_%28Daf_Beis_of_Maseches_Brachos%29.jpg" decoding="async" width="220" height="311" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f2/First_page_of_the_first_tractate_of_the_Talmud_%28Daf_Beis_of_Maseches_Brachos%29.jpg/330px-First_page_of_the_first_tractate_of_the_Talmud_%28Daf_Beis_of_Maseches_Brachos%29.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f2/First_page_of_the_first_tractate_of_the_Talmud_%28Daf_Beis_of_Maseches_Brachos%29.jpg/440px-First_page_of_the_first_tractate_of_the_Talmud_%28Daf_Beis_of_Maseches_Brachos%29.jpg 2x" data-file-width="572" data-file-height="808" /></a><figcaption>The first page of the <a href="/wiki/Vilna" class="mw-redirect" title="Vilna">Vilna</a> Edition of the Babylonian Talmud, Tractate Berachot, folio 2a., with the word "Me-ematai" in the box at the top</figcaption></figure> <p>Many books in the <a href="/wiki/Hebrew_Bible" title="Hebrew Bible">Hebrew Bible</a> are named in <a href="/wiki/Hebrew_language" title="Hebrew language">Hebrew</a> using incipits. For instance, the first book (Genesis) is called <i>Bereshit</i> ("In the beginning ...") and <a href="/wiki/Book_of_Lamentations" title="Book of Lamentations">Lamentations</a>, which begins "How lonely sits the city...", is called <i>Eykha</i> ("How"). A readily recognized one is the "Shema" or <i><a href="/wiki/Shema_Yisrael" class="mw-redirect" title="Shema Yisrael">Shema Yisrael</a></i> in the <a href="/wiki/Torah" title="Torah">Torah</a>: "Hear O Israel..." – the first words of the proclamation encapsulating Judaism's monotheism (see beginning <a href="/wiki/Deuteronomy" class="mw-redirect" title="Deuteronomy">Deuteronomy</a> 6:4 and elsewhere). </p><p>All the names of <a href="/wiki/Weekly_Torah_portion" title="Weekly Torah portion">Parashot</a> are incipits, the title coming from a word, occasionally two words, in its first two verses. The first in each book is, of course, called by the same name as the book as a whole. </p><p>Some of the <a href="/wiki/Psalms" title="Psalms">Psalms</a> are known by their incipits, most noticeably <a href="/wiki/Psalm_51" title="Psalm 51">Psalm 51</a> (Septuagint numbering: Psalm 50), which is known in <a href="/wiki/Western_Christianity" title="Western Christianity">Western Christianity</a> by its Latin incipit <i><a href="/wiki/Psalm_51" title="Psalm 51">Miserere</a></i> ("Have mercy"). </p><p>In the <a href="/wiki/Talmud" title="Talmud">Talmud</a>, the chapters of the <a href="/wiki/Gemara" title="Gemara">Gemara</a> are titled in print and known by their first words, e.g. the first chapter of <a href="/wiki/Mishnah" title="Mishnah">Mesekhet</a> <a href="/wiki/Berakhot_(Talmud)" class="mw-redirect" title="Berakhot (Talmud)">Berachot</a> ("Benedictions") is called Me-ematai ("From when"). This word is printed at the head of every subsequent page within that chapter of the tractate. </p><p>In <a href="/wiki/Rabbinic_Judaism" title="Rabbinic Judaism">rabbinic</a> usage, the incipit is known as the "dibur ha-matḥil" (דיבור המתחיל), or "beginning phrase", and refers to a section heading in a published monograph or commentary that typically, but not always, quotes or paraphrases a classic biblical or rabbinic passage to be commented upon or discussed. </p><p>Many religious songs and prayers are known by their opening words. </p><p>Sometimes an entire monograph is known by its "dibur hamatḥil". The published mystical and <a href="/wiki/Exegesis" title="Exegesis">exegetical</a> discourses of the <a href="/wiki/Chabad-Lubavitch" class="mw-redirect" title="Chabad-Lubavitch">Chabad-Lubavitch</a> rebbes (called "ma'amarim"), derive their titles almost exclusively from the "dibur ha-matḥil" of the individual work's first chapter. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Ancient_Greek">Ancient Greek</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Incipit&action=edit&section=4" title="Edit section: Ancient Greek"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>The final book of the <a href="/wiki/New_Testament" title="New Testament">New Testament</a>, the <a href="/wiki/Book_of_Revelation" title="Book of Revelation">Book of Revelation</a>, is often known as the Apocalypse after the first word of the original Greek text, <a href="https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E1%BC%80%CF%80%CE%BF%CE%BA%CE%AC%CE%BB%CF%85%CF%88%CE%B9%CF%82" class="extiw" title="wikt:ἀποκάλυψις">ἀποκάλυψις</a> <i>apokalypsis</i> "revelation", to the point where that word has become synonymous with what the book describes, i.e. the <a href="/wiki/Eschatology" title="Eschatology">End of Days</a> (<a href="https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E1%BC%94%CF%83%CF%87%CE%B1%CF%84%CE%BF%CE%BD" class="extiw" title="wikt:ἔσχατον">ἔσχατον</a> <i>eschaton</i> "[the] last" in the original). </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Classical_Arabic">Classical Arabic</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Incipit&action=edit&section=5" title="Edit section: Classical Arabic"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>Each chapter in the Quran, with the exception of the ninth, begins with <a href="/wiki/Bismillah_Al-Rahman_Al-Rahim" class="mw-redirect" title="Bismillah Al-Rahman Al-Rahim">Bismillah Al-Rahman Al-Rahim</a> -- meaning "in the name of God, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful."<sup id="cite_ref-6" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-6"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>5<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Medieval_Europe">Medieval Europe</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Incipit&action=edit&section=6" title="Edit section: Medieval Europe"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <figure class="mw-default-size" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:Excerpt_from_ms._25516_fr._of_the_BnF,_fol._96r.png" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/61/Excerpt_from_ms._25516_fr._of_the_BnF%2C_fol._96r.png/220px-Excerpt_from_ms._25516_fr._of_the_BnF%2C_fol._96r.png" decoding="async" width="220" height="255" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/61/Excerpt_from_ms._25516_fr._of_the_BnF%2C_fol._96r.png/330px-Excerpt_from_ms._25516_fr._of_the_BnF%2C_fol._96r.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/61/Excerpt_from_ms._25516_fr._of_the_BnF%2C_fol._96r.png/440px-Excerpt_from_ms._25516_fr._of_the_BnF%2C_fol._96r.png 2x" data-file-width="452" data-file-height="524" /></a><figcaption>Incipit, <a href="/wiki/Miniature_(illuminated_manuscript)" title="Miniature (illuminated manuscript)">miniature</a> and first four lines of <i>Aiol and Mirabel</i>, ms. 25516 fr. of the BnF, fol. 96r. 1275–90.</figcaption></figure> <p>Incipits are generally, but not always, in red in medieval manuscripts. They may come before a miniature or an <a href="/wiki/Illuminated_initial" class="mw-redirect" title="Illuminated initial">illuminated</a> or <a href="/wiki/Historiated_initial" class="mw-redirect" title="Historiated initial">historiated letter</a>. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Papal_bulls">Papal bulls</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Incipit&action=edit&section=7" title="Edit section: Papal bulls"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1236090951">.mw-parser-output .hatnote{font-style:italic}.mw-parser-output div.hatnote{padding-left:1.6em;margin-bottom:0.5em}.mw-parser-output .hatnote i{font-style:normal}.mw-parser-output .hatnote+link+.hatnote{margin-top:-0.5em}@media print{body.ns-0 .mw-parser-output .hatnote{display:none!important}}</style><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">Main article: <a href="/wiki/List_of_papal_bulls" title="List of papal bulls">List of papal bulls</a></div> <p>Traditionally, <a href="/wiki/Papal_Bull" class="mw-redirect" title="Papal Bull">papal bulls</a> and <a href="/wiki/Encyclical" title="Encyclical">encyclicals</a>, documents issued under the authority of the <a href="/wiki/Pope" title="Pope">Pope</a>, are referenced by their <a href="/wiki/Latin" title="Latin">Latin</a> incipit. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Hindu_texts">Hindu texts</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Incipit&action=edit&section=8" title="Edit section: Hindu texts"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>Some of the <a href="/wiki/Mantras" class="mw-redirect" title="Mantras">mantras</a>, <a href="/wiki/Sukta" class="mw-redirect" title="Sukta">suktas</a> from the hymns of the <a href="/wiki/Rigveda" title="Rigveda">Vedas</a>, conform to this usage. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Modern_uses_of_incipits">Modern uses of incipits</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Incipit&action=edit&section=9" title="Edit section: Modern uses of incipits"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>The idea of choosing a few words or a phrase or two, which would be placed on the spine of a book and its cover, developed slowly with the birth of <a href="/wiki/Printing" title="Printing">printing</a>, and the idea of a title page with a short title and subtitle came centuries later, replacing earlier, more verbose titles. </p><p>The modern use of standardized titles, combined with the <a href="/wiki/International_Standard_Bibliographic_Description" title="International Standard Bibliographic Description">International Standard Bibliographic Description</a> (ISBD), have made the incipit obsolete as a tool for organizing information in libraries. </p><p>However, incipits are still used to refer to untitled poems, songs, and prayers, such as <a href="/wiki/Gregorian_chant" title="Gregorian chant">Gregorian chants</a>, <a href="/wiki/Opera" title="Opera">operatic</a> arias, many prayers and hymns, and numerous poems, including those of <a href="/wiki/Emily_Dickinson" title="Emily Dickinson">Emily Dickinson</a>. That such a use is an incipit and not a title is most obvious when the line breaks off in the middle of a grammatical unit (e.g., <a href="/wiki/Shakespeare" class="mw-redirect" title="Shakespeare">Shakespeare</a>'s <a href="/wiki/Sonnet" title="Sonnet">sonnet</a> 55 "Not marble, nor the gilded monuments"). </p><p><a href="/wiki/Law_Latin" title="Law Latin">Latin</a> legal concepts are often designated by the first few words, for example, <i>habeas corpus</i> for <i>habeas corpus ad subjiciendum</i> ("may you have the person to be subjected [to examination]") which are itself the key words of a much longer writ. </p><p>Many <a href="/wiki/Word_processor" title="Word processor">word processors</a> propose the first few words of a document as a default file name, assuming that the incipit may correspond to the intended title of the document. </p><p>The space-filling, or place-holding, text <a href="/wiki/Lorem_ipsum" title="Lorem ipsum">lorem ipsum</a> is known as such from its incipit. </p><p>Occasionally, incipits have been used for humorous effect, such as in the <a href="/wiki/Alan_Plater" title="Alan Plater">Alan Plater</a>-written television series <i><a href="/wiki/The_Beiderbecke_Affair" title="The Beiderbecke Affair">The Beiderbecke Affair</a></i> and its sequels, in which each episode is named for the first words spoken in the episode (leading to episode titles such as "What I don't understand is this..." and "Um...I know what you're thinking"). </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="In_music">In music</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Incipit&action=edit&section=10" title="Edit section: In music"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <table align="right" style="background:#f9f9f9;"> <tbody><tr> <td style="padding:0.5em; background:white;"><div class="mw-ext-score noresize" data-midi="//upload.wikimedia.org/score/q/f/qfbf6wxoha1g6dlg5x02rjmoyw3q3bx/qfbf6wxo.midi"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/score/q/f/qfbf6wxoha1g6dlg5x02rjmoyw3q3bx/qfbf6wxo.png" width="449" height="95" alt="
 \new Staff {
 \tempo "Larghetto" 4 = 116
 \clef treble \time 6/4 \key bes \minor
 \partial 2. 
 \relative a'' {
 bes8 \p ( c_\markup { \italic "espress." } des a bes ges ) f4-. \< ( f-. f-. ) f \! ( ges8 \> f es c ) \! des2 ^\> ( bes4 ) \!
 }
 }
" /></div> </td></tr> <tr> <td style="padding:0.5em;">Incipit for Chopin's <a href="/wiki/Nocturnes,_Op._9_(Chopin)" title="Nocturnes, Op. 9 (Chopin)">Nocturne in B-flat minor, Op. 9, No. 1</a>, single-staff version </td></tr> <tr> <td style="padding:0.5em; background:white;"><div class="mw-ext-score noresize" data-midi="//upload.wikimedia.org/score/t/r/trjtwuhd3tmyzturrwlpcwcagm97sak/trjtwuhd.midi"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/score/t/r/trjtwuhd3tmyzturrwlpcwcagm97sak/trjtwuhd.png" width="549" height="183" alt="
 \new PianoStaff <<
 \new Staff {
 \tempo "Larghetto" 4 = 116
 \clef treble \time 6/4 \key bes \minor
 \partial 2. 
 \relative a'' {
 bes8 \p ( c_\markup { \italic "espress." } des a bes ges ) f4-. \< ( f-. f-. ) f \! ( ges8 \> f es c ) \! des2 ^\> ( bes4 ) \!
 }
 }
 \new Staff {
 \clef bass \time 6/4 \key bes \minor
 r r r
 bes,8 \sustainOn ( f des' bes f' f ) \sustainOff
 bes,8 \sustainOn ( f es' a f' f ) \sustainOff
 bes,8 ( f des' bes f' f )
 }
 >>
" /></div> </td></tr> <tr> <td style="padding:0.5em;">Incipit for Chopin's <a href="/wiki/Nocturnes,_Op._9_(Chopin)" title="Nocturnes, Op. 9 (Chopin)">Nocturne in B-flat minor, Op. 9, No. 1</a>, full-score version </td></tr></tbody></table> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1236090951"><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">See also: <a href="/wiki/Thematic_catalogue" class="mw-redirect" title="Thematic catalogue">Thematic catalogue</a></div> <p>Musical incipits are printed in standard music notation. They typically feature the first few <a href="/wiki/Bar_(music)" title="Bar (music)">bars</a> of a piece, often with the most prominent musical material written on a single <a href="/wiki/Staff_(music)" title="Staff (music)">staff</a> (the examples given at right show both the single-staff and full-score incipit variants). Incipits are especially useful in music because they can call to mind the reader's own musical memory of the work where a printed title would fail to do so. Musical incipits appear both in catalogs of music and in the tables of contents of volumes that include multiple works. </p><p>In choral music, sacred or secular pieces from before the 20th century were often titled with the incipit text. For instance, the proper of the <a href="/wiki/Catholic_Church" title="Catholic Church">Catholic</a> <a href="/wiki/Mass_(Catholic_Church)" class="mw-redirect" title="Mass (Catholic Church)">Mass</a> and the <a href="/wiki/Latin" title="Latin">Latin</a> transcriptions of the biblical psalms used as prayers during services are always titled with the first word or words of the text. <a href="/wiki/Protestant" class="mw-redirect" title="Protestant">Protestant</a> hymns of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries are also traditionally titled with an incipit. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="In_computer_science">In computer science</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Incipit&action=edit&section=11" title="Edit section: In computer science"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>In computer science, long <a href="/wiki/String_(computer_science)" title="String (computer science)">strings of characters</a> may be referred to by their incipits, particularly <a href="/wiki/Key_(cryptography)" title="Key (cryptography)">encryption keys</a> or <a href="/wiki/Product_key" title="Product key">product keys</a>. Notable examples include <a href="/wiki/FCKGW" class="mw-redirect" title="FCKGW">FCKGW</a> (used by <a href="/wiki/Windows_XP" title="Windows XP">Windows XP</a>) and <a href="/wiki/09_F9" class="mw-redirect" title="09 F9">09 F9</a> (used by <a href="/wiki/Advanced_Access_Content_System" title="Advanced Access Content System">Advanced Access Content System</a>). </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="See_also">See also</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Incipit&action=edit&section=12" title="Edit section: See also"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1235681985">.mw-parser-output .side-box{margin:4px 0;box-sizing:border-box;border:1px solid #aaa;font-size:88%;line-height:1.25em;background-color:var(--background-color-interactive-subtle,#f8f9fa);display:flow-root}.mw-parser-output .side-box-abovebelow,.mw-parser-output .side-box-text{padding:0.25em 0.9em}.mw-parser-output .side-box-image{padding:2px 0 2px 0.9em;text-align:center}.mw-parser-output .side-box-imageright{padding:2px 0.9em 2px 0;text-align:center}@media(min-width:500px){.mw-parser-output .side-box-flex{display:flex;align-items:center}.mw-parser-output .side-box-text{flex:1;min-width:0}}@media(min-width:720px){.mw-parser-output .side-box{width:238px}.mw-parser-output .side-box-right{clear:right;float:right;margin-left:1em}.mw-parser-output .side-box-left{margin-right:1em}}</style><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1237033735">@media print{body.ns-0 .mw-parser-output .sistersitebox{display:none!important}}@media screen{html.skin-theme-clientpref-night .mw-parser-output .sistersitebox img[src*="Wiktionary-logo-en-v2.svg"]{background-color:white}}@media screen and (prefers-color-scheme:dark){html.skin-theme-clientpref-os .mw-parser-output .sistersitebox img[src*="Wiktionary-logo-en-v2.svg"]{background-color:white}}</style><div class="side-box side-box-right plainlinks sistersitebox"><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1126788409">.mw-parser-output .plainlist ol,.mw-parser-output .plainlist ul{line-height:inherit;list-style:none;margin:0;padding:0}.mw-parser-output .plainlist ol li,.mw-parser-output .plainlist ul li{margin-bottom:0}</style> <div class="side-box-flex"> <div class="side-box-image"><span class="noviewer" typeof="mw:File"><span><img alt="" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/99/Wiktionary-logo-en-v2.svg/40px-Wiktionary-logo-en-v2.svg.png" decoding="async" width="40" height="40" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/99/Wiktionary-logo-en-v2.svg/60px-Wiktionary-logo-en-v2.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/99/Wiktionary-logo-en-v2.svg/80px-Wiktionary-logo-en-v2.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="512" data-file-height="512" /></span></span></div> <div class="side-box-text plainlist">Look up <i><b><a href="https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Special:Search/incipit" class="extiw" title="wiktionary:Special:Search/incipit">incipit</a></b></i> in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.</div></div> </div> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1235681985"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1237033735"><div class="side-box side-box-right plainlinks sistersitebox"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1126788409"> <div class="side-box-flex"> <div class="side-box-image"><span class="noviewer" typeof="mw:File"><span><img alt="" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fa/Wikiquote-logo.svg/34px-Wikiquote-logo.svg.png" decoding="async" width="34" height="40" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fa/Wikiquote-logo.svg/51px-Wikiquote-logo.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fa/Wikiquote-logo.svg/68px-Wikiquote-logo.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="300" data-file-height="355" /></span></span></div> <div class="side-box-text plainlist">Wikiquote has quotations related to <i><b><a href="https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Opening_lines" class="extiw" title="q:Opening lines">Opening lines</a></b></i>.</div></div> </div> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Opening_sentence" title="Opening sentence">Opening sentence</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Epigraph_(literature)" title="Epigraph (literature)">Epigraph</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Exordium_(rhetoric)" class="mw-redirect" title="Exordium (rhetoric)">Exordium (rhetoric)</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Preface" title="Preface">Preface</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Prologue" title="Prologue">Prologue</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Rubrication" title="Rubrication">Rubrication</a></li></ul> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Notes">Notes</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Incipit&action=edit&section=13" title="Edit section: Notes"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1239543626">.mw-parser-output .reflist{margin-bottom:0.5em;list-style-type:decimal}@media screen{.mw-parser-output .reflist{font-size:90%}}.mw-parser-output .reflist .references{font-size:100%;margin-bottom:0;list-style-type:inherit}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns-2{column-width:30em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns-3{column-width:25em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns{margin-top:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns ol{margin-top:0}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns li{page-break-inside:avoid;break-inside:avoid-column}.mw-parser-output .reflist-upper-alpha{list-style-type:upper-alpha}.mw-parser-output .reflist-upper-roman{list-style-type:upper-roman}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-alpha{list-style-type:lower-alpha}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-greek{list-style-type:lower-greek}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-roman{list-style-type:lower-roman}</style><div class="reflist reflist-lower-alpha"> <div class="mw-references-wrap"><ol class="references"> <li id="cite_note-3"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-3">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Recommended by the <i><a href="/wiki/Oxford_English_Dictionary" title="Oxford English Dictionary">Oxford English Dictionary</a></i>,<sup id="cite_ref-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-1"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>1<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> but competes in everyday usage with several others: <span class="rt-commentedText nowrap"><span class="IPA nopopups noexcerpt" lang="en-fonipa"><a href="/wiki/Help:IPA/English" title="Help:IPA/English">/<span style="border-bottom:1px dotted"><span title="/ɪ/: 'i' in 'kit'">ɪ</span><span title="'n' in 'nigh'">n</span><span title="/ˈ/: primary stress follows">ˈ</span><span title="'s' in 'sigh'">s</span><span title="/ɪ/: 'i' in 'kit'">ɪ</span><span title="'p' in 'pie'">p</span><span title="/ɪ/: 'i' in 'kit'">ɪ</span><span title="'t' in 'tie'">t</span></span>/</a></span></span> <a href="/wiki/Help:Pronunciation_respelling_key" title="Help:Pronunciation respelling key"><i title="English pronunciation respelling">in-<span style="font-size:90%">SIP</span>-it</i></a>, <span class="rt-commentedText nowrap"><span class="IPA nopopups noexcerpt" lang="en-fonipa"><a href="/wiki/Help:IPA/English" title="Help:IPA/English">/<span style="border-bottom:1px dotted"><span title="/ˈ/: primary stress follows">ˈ</span><span title="/ɪ/: 'i' in 'kit'">ɪ</span><span title="'n' in 'nigh'">n</span><span title="'k' in 'kind'">k</span><span title="/ɪ/: 'i' in 'kit'">ɪ</span><span title="'p' in 'pie'">p</span><span title="/ɪ/: 'i' in 'kit'">ɪ</span><span title="'t' in 'tie'">t</span></span>/</a></span></span> <a href="/wiki/Help:Pronunciation_respelling_key" title="Help:Pronunciation respelling key"><i title="English pronunciation respelling"><span style="font-size:90%">IN</span>-kip-it</i></a>, <span class="rt-commentedText nowrap"><span class="IPA nopopups noexcerpt" lang="en-fonipa"><a href="/wiki/Help:IPA/English" title="Help:IPA/English">/<span style="border-bottom:1px dotted"><span title="/ɪ/: 'i' in 'kit'">ɪ</span><span title="'n' in 'nigh'">n</span><span title="/ˈ/: primary stress follows">ˈ</span><span title="'k' in 'kind'">k</span><span title="/ɪ/: 'i' in 'kit'">ɪ</span><span title="'p' in 'pie'">p</span><span title="/ɪ/: 'i' in 'kit'">ɪ</span><span title="'t' in 'tie'">t</span></span>/</a></span></span> <a href="/wiki/Help:Pronunciation_respelling_key" title="Help:Pronunciation respelling key"><i title="English pronunciation respelling">in-<span style="font-size:90%">KIP</span>-it</i></a>, <span class="rt-commentedText nowrap"><span class="IPA nopopups noexcerpt" lang="en-fonipa"><a href="/wiki/Help:IPA/English" title="Help:IPA/English">/<span style="border-bottom:1px dotted"><span title="/ˈ/: primary stress follows">ˈ</span><span title="/ɪ/: 'i' in 'kit'">ɪ</span><span title="'n' in 'nigh'">n</span><span title="/tʃ/: 'ch' in 'China'">tʃ</span><span title="/ɪ/: 'i' in 'kit'">ɪ</span><span title="'p' in 'pie'">p</span><span title="/ɪ/: 'i' in 'kit'">ɪ</span><span title="'t' in 'tie'">t</span></span>/</a></span></span> <a href="/wiki/Help:Pronunciation_respelling_key" title="Help:Pronunciation respelling key"><i title="English pronunciation respelling"><span style="font-size:90%">IN</span>-chip-it</i></a> and <span class="rt-commentedText nowrap"><span class="IPA nopopups noexcerpt" lang="en-fonipa"><a href="/wiki/Help:IPA/English" title="Help:IPA/English">/<span style="border-bottom:1px dotted"><span title="/ɪ/: 'i' in 'kit'">ɪ</span><span title="'n' in 'nigh'">n</span><span title="/ˈ/: primary stress follows">ˈ</span><span title="/tʃ/: 'ch' in 'China'">tʃ</span><span title="/ɪ/: 'i' in 'kit'">ɪ</span><span title="'p' in 'pie'">p</span><span title="/ɪ/: 'i' in 'kit'">ɪ</span><span title="'t' in 'tie'">t</span></span>/</a></span></span> <a href="/wiki/Help:Pronunciation_respelling_key" title="Help:Pronunciation respelling key"><i title="English pronunciation respelling">in-<span style="font-size:90%">CHIP</span>-it</i></a>. Of these, the use of second-syllable stress and of <span class="IPA nowrap" lang="und-Latn-fonipa" title="Representation in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA)">/k/</span> for letter <span class="nowrap">⟨c⟩</span> is endorsed by <a href="/wiki/Merriam-Webster" title="Merriam-Webster">Merriam-Webster</a> on its dictionary web site.<sup id="cite_ref-2" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-2"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>2<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Pronunciations with <span class="IPA nowrap" lang="und-Latn-fonipa" title="Representation in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA)">/tʃ/</span> are based on the <a href="/wiki/Italian_language" title="Italian language">Italian</a> rendition of letter <span class="nowrap">⟨c⟩</span> before <span class="nowrap">⟨i⟩</span>. For discussion of the variants, see <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://archive.choralnet.org/194865">ChoralNet</a> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20180331040107/http://archive.choralnet.org/194865">Archived</a> 2018-03-31 at the <a href="/wiki/Wayback_Machine" title="Wayback Machine">Wayback Machine</a>.</span> </li> </ol></div></div> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="References">References</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Incipit&action=edit&section=14" title="Edit section: References"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1239543626"><div class="reflist"> <div class="mw-references-wrap"><ol class="references"> <li id="cite_note-1"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-1">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1238218222">.mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit;word-wrap:break-word}.mw-parser-output .citation q{quotes:"\"""\"""'""'"}.mw-parser-output .citation:target{background-color:rgba(0,127,255,0.133)}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-free.id-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/65/Lock-green.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-limited.id-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .id-lock-registration.id-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-subscription.id-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg")right 0.1em center/12px no-repeat}body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-free a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-limited a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-registration a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-subscription a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background-size:contain;padding:0 1em 0 0}.mw-parser-output .cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:none;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;color:var(--color-error,#d33)}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{color:var(--color-error,#d33)}.mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{display:none;color:#085;margin-left:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right{padding-right:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .citation .mw-selflink{font-weight:inherit}@media screen{.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}html.skin-theme-clientpref-night .mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{color:#18911f}}@media screen and (prefers-color-scheme:dark){html.skin-theme-clientpref-os .mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{color:#18911f}}</style><cite id="CITEREFReference-OED-incipit" class="citation encyclopaedia cs1"><span class="id-lock-subscription" title="Paid subscription required"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.oed.com/search/dictionary/?q=incipit">"incipit"</a></span>. <i><a href="/wiki/Oxford_English_Dictionary" title="Oxford English Dictionary">Oxford English Dictionary</a></i> (Online ed.). <a href="/wiki/Oxford_University_Press" title="Oxford University Press">Oxford University Press</a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=bookitem&rft.atitle=incipit&rft.btitle=Oxford+English+Dictionary&rft.edition=Online&rft.pub=Oxford+University+Press&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.oed.com%2Fsearch%2Fdictionary%2F%3Fq%3Dincipit&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AIncipit" class="Z3988"></span> <span style="font-size:0.95em; font-size:95%; color: var( --color-subtle, #555 )">(Subscription or <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.oed.com/public/login/loggingin#withyourlibrary">participating institution membership</a> required.)</span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-2"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-2">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation encyclopaedia cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/incipit">"incipit"</a>. <i>Merriam-Webster</i><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">12 May</span> 2020</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=bookitem&rft.atitle=incipit&rft.btitle=Merriam-Webster&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.merriam-webster.com%2Fdictionary%2Fincipit&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AIncipit" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-4">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20190722154203/https://www.ndl.go.jp/incunabula/e/glossary/glo_02.html">"Incipit and Explicit - Incunabula - Dawn of Western Printing"</a>. <i>ndl.go.jp</i>. Archived from <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.ndl.go.jp/incunabula/e/glossary/glo_02.html">the original</a> on 2019-07-22<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">2018-08-17</span></span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=unknown&rft.jtitle=ndl.go.jp&rft.atitle=Incipit+and+Explicit+-+Incunabula+-+Dawn+of+Western+Printing&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ndl.go.jp%2Fincunabula%2Fe%2Fglossary%2Fglo_02.html&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AIncipit" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-5"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-5">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Lerner, Frederick Andrew. <i>The Story of Libraries: From the Invention of Writing to the Computer Age</i>. New York: Continuum, 1998. <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-8264-1114-2" title="Special:BookSources/0-8264-1114-2">0-8264-1114-2</a>. <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-8264-1325-0" title="Special:BookSources/0-8264-1325-0">0-8264-1325-0</a>.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-6"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-6">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.iium.edu.my/deed/quran/intro/i009.html">"9. Tauba"</a>. <i>www.iium.edu.my</i><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">2024-07-19</span></span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=unknown&rft.jtitle=www.iium.edu.my&rft.atitle=9.+Tauba&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.iium.edu.my%2Fdeed%2Fquran%2Fintro%2Fi009.html&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AIncipit" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> </ol></div></div> <p><b>Other sources</b> </p> <ul><li>Barreau, Deborah K.; Nardi, Bonnie. "Finding and Reminding: File Organization From the desktop". <i>SigChi Bulletin</i>. July 1995. Vol. 27. No. 3. pp. 39–43</li> <li>Casson, Lionel. <i>Libraries in the Ancient World</i>. New Haven, Connecticut: Yale University Press, 2001. <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-300-08809-4" title="Special:BookSources/0-300-08809-4">0-300-08809-4</a>. <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-300-09721-2" title="Special:BookSources/0-300-09721-2">0-300-09721-2</a>.</li> <li>Malone, Thomas W. "How do people organize their desks? Implications for the design of Office Information Systems". <i>ACM Transactions on Office Information Systems</i>. Vol. 1. No. 1 January 1983. pp. 99–112.</li> <li>Nardi, Bonnie; Barreau, Deborah K. "Finding and Reminding Revisited: Appropriate metaphors for File Organization at the Desktop". <i>SigChi Bulletin</i>. January 1997. Vol. 29. No. 1.</li></ul> <div class="navbox-styles"><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1129693374">.mw-parser-output .hlist dl,.mw-parser-output .hlist ol,.mw-parser-output .hlist ul{margin:0;padding:0}.mw-parser-output .hlist dd,.mw-parser-output .hlist dt,.mw-parser-output .hlist li{margin:0;display:inline}.mw-parser-output .hlist.inline,.mw-parser-output .hlist.inline dl,.mw-parser-output .hlist.inline ol,.mw-parser-output .hlist.inline ul,.mw-parser-output .hlist dl dl,.mw-parser-output .hlist dl ol,.mw-parser-output .hlist dl ul,.mw-parser-output .hlist ol dl,.mw-parser-output .hlist ol ol,.mw-parser-output .hlist ol ul,.mw-parser-output .hlist ul dl,.mw-parser-output .hlist ul ol,.mw-parser-output .hlist ul ul{display:inline}.mw-parser-output .hlist .mw-empty-li{display:none}.mw-parser-output .hlist dt::after{content:": "}.mw-parser-output .hlist dd::after,.mw-parser-output .hlist li::after{content:" · ";font-weight:bold}.mw-parser-output .hlist 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