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epithet

[ ep-uh-thet ]
/ ˈɛp əˌθɛt /
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See synonyms for: epithet / epithetical on Thesaurus.com

noun
any word or phrase applied to a person or thing to describe an actual or attributed quality: “Richard the Lion-Hearted” is an epithet of Richard I.
a characterizing word or phrase firmly associated with a person or thing and often used in place of an actual name, title, or the like, as “man's best friend” for “dog.”
a word, phrase, or expression used invectively as a term of abuse or contempt, to express hostility, etc.: He demeans his female employees by addressing them with sexist epithets.
Botany, Zoology. specific epithet.
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Origin of epithet

First recorded in 1570–80; from Latin epitheton “adjective; word used attributively,” from Greek epítheton “something added, adjective, epithet,” derivative of epitithénai “to place upon, put upon,” equivalent to epi- + the- (variant stem of tithénai “to put, place”) + -ton neuter participle suffix; see epi-

OTHER WORDS FROM epithet

ep·i·thet·ic, ep·i·thet·i·cal, adjective

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH epithet

epigram, epigraph, epitaph, epithet
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use epithet in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for epithet

epithet
/ (ˈɛpɪˌθɛt) /

noun
a descriptive word or phrase added to or substituted for a person's name"Lackland" is an epithet for King John

Derived forms of epithet

epithetic or epithetical, adjective

Word Origin for epithet

C16: from Latin epitheton, from Greek, from epitithenai to add, from tithenai to put
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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