Ex Libris is a Latin phrase meaning?

• A. From the books
• B. Of the library
• C. By the author
• D. On the title page

Answer: (B)

Ex Libris appears on bookplates to show ownership of a book. It comes from Latin where Ex means “out of” or “from,” and Libris (a form of liber) refers to books or a library. In practice, the phrase is understood as “from the library of” or “from the owner’s collection.” That sense of ownership is why it’s translated as “Of the library”—it identifies who the book belongs to. It isn’t about who wrote the book or where the text sits on a page, so it wouldn’t be used to mean “by the author” or “on the title page.” A bookplate would typically read Ex Libris followed by the owner's name, indicating the book is part of that person’s library.