Inscription, n.
Etymology: [L. inscriptio, fr.inscribere, inscriptum, to inscribe: cf. F. inscription. See Inscribe.]
1. The act or process of inscribing.
2. That which is inscribed; something written or engraved; especially, a word or words written or engraved on a solid substance for preservation or public inspection; as, inscriptions on monuments, pillars, coins, medals, etc.
3. (Anat.)
A line of division or intersection; as, the tendinous inscriptions, or intersections, of a muscle.
1 more senses
4. An address, consignment, or informal dedication, as of a book to a person, as a mark of respect or an invitation of patronage.
Shades of meaning
Fernald has no entry of its own for inscription; he lists it under record.
Where he writes about it:
Record is a word of wide signification, applying to any writing, mark, or trace that serves as a memorial giving enduring attestation of an event or fact; an extended account, chronicle, or history is a record; so, too, may be a brief inventory or memorandum; the inscription on a tombstone is a record of the dead; the striae on a rock-surface are the record of a glacier's passage. — from record