What does label mean?
Label is a common English word with both a noun and a verb use. As a noun, it refers to a tag, sticker, sign, or written piece of information attached to an object, such as a food label, a warning label, or the label on a record. It can also mean a name, title, or designation assigned to a person, group, or thing. As a verb, label means to attach such identification or to describe someone or something by a chosen category or name. In ordinary product and media contexts, the word is usually practical and neutral. In social contexts, however, labeling people can suggest that they are being treated as a type or reduced to a stereotype. The word is useful because it describes both the physical act of identifying an object and the broader process of assigning names and categories. It is also flexible enough to refer to tags, descriptions, records, and acts of classification, though context determines whether the implication is informative, official, or potentially reductive.
A tag, sign, or written description attached to or identifying a person, object, product, recording, or category.
"The museum displayed the painting without a label."
The noun also means a name or designation assigned to a person or thing, and “record label” refers to a company that produces or distributes recorded music.
To attach a tag or written identification to something, or to identify, name, or classify it in a particular way.
"The package is clearly labeled with its date and contents."
When applied to people or groups, labeling can imply an overly simple or stigmatizing classification.
The regular plural is labels.
"The shelves were lined with labels describing each item."
From a Latin “little lip” to price tags, record companies, and labels on people: label began as a tiny physical strip.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does label come from?
The word entered Middle English through Anglo-French and Old French label, originally a small band or tag. Old French label was a diminutive of labbe, ultimately derived from Latin labellum, a diminutive of labrum, meaning “lip.” The French word developed from a physical strip or tag into the broader senses of an identifying mark and a name or description.
Related word forms
How label is actually used
Label is common in both British and American English. British forms include labelled and labelling, while American forms include labeled and labeling. The word is usually neutral when identifying products or records, but labeling a person or group can imply an unwarranted or stigmatizing categorization.