caption

A caption is a short textual description accompanying a visual or other media, such as a photograph, illustration, diagram, chart, table, or video. Captions serve to identify the item, explain its content, provide context, and attribute sources or creators. They are typically placed adjacent to the media, most often beneath in print and on the side for on-screen content.

Etymology: The term comes from Old French caption, later from Latin caput 'head', reflecting its original use as a heading or title. Over time, the sense broadened to include descriptive text that accompanies media.

Content and style: A caption can include the object’s title, a concise description, date or location, and source or credit. In academic and professional writing, captions are often written as complete sentences and should be self-contained when the figure stands alone. Style varies by guide, such as APA, MLA, or Chicago.

Accessibility and technology: Captions are essential for accessibility, providing context for images via text and for videos via subtitles or transcripts. In web pages, the figcaption element serves as the semantic caption for a figure; alternative text serves a different accessibility function, describing images when they cannot be viewed.

See also or usage: Related terms include subtitle, legend, and alt text. The concept is used across publishing, journalism, education, and digital media.