epithet
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epithet
- /ˈɛp.ɪˌθɛt/
- /ˈɛp.əˌθɛt/
Where it comes from
From Middle French épithète, from Latin epithetum, epitheton, from Ancient Greek ἐπίθετον (epítheton, “epithet, adjective”), the neuter of ἐπίθετος (epíthetos, “additional”), from ἐπιτίθημι (epitíthēmi, “to add on”), from ἐπι- (epi-, “in addition”) + τίθημι (títhēmi, “to put”) (suf. possibly related to title in the sense of "ascribed appellation") (from Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁- (“to put, to do”)). Doublet of epitheton.
noun epithets
- A term used to characterize a person or thing. She would lean her head for hours on Beatrice's shoulder, only now and then applying to her some childish and endearing epithet.
-
A term used as a qualifier of the name of a deity in order to designate said deity in a particular aspect or role.
Similar: byname
- A term used as a descriptive substitute for the name or title of a person.
- One of many formulaic words or phrases used in the Iliad and Odyssey to characterize a person, a group of people, or a thing.
- An abusive or contemptuous word or phrase. Part of this process was the elaboration of new terms for the Jew, especially the increasingly popular epithet “kike”.
- A word in the scientific name of a taxon following the name of the genus or species. This applies only to formal names of plants, fungi and bacteria. In formal names of animals the corresponding term is the specific name.
verb epithets · epitheting · epitheted
- To term; to refer to as. He was epitheted "the king of fools".
Translations
Every language
noun term used to characterize a person or thing
| Español | epíteto |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 형용사구 hyeong'yongsagu, 수식어 susigeo |
| 日本語 | 渾名, あだ名 adana |
| 中文 | 稱號 /称号 chēnghào, 綽號 /绰号 chuòhào, 修飾語 /修饰语 xiūshìyǔ |
| Português | epíteto |
| Français | épithète |
| Deutsch | Beiwort, Epitheton, Attribut, Beiname |
| Italiano | epiteto |
| Ελληνικά | επίθετο epítheto |
| Română | epitet |
| Русский | эпи́тет epítet |
| العربية | صِفَة ṣifa |
noun term used as a descriptive substitute for the name or title of a person
| 한국어 | 별칭 byeolching |
|---|---|
| Français | épithète |
| Deutsch | Beiwort, Beiname, Spitzname |
| Italiano | epiteto |
| العربية | صِفَة ṣifa |
noun abusive or contemptuous word or phrase
| Français | épithète |
|---|---|
| Deutsch | Schimpfwort, Schimpfname |
| Italiano | epiteto |
noun word in the scientific name of a taxon following the name of the genus or species
| Español | epíteto específico |
|---|---|
| Deutsch | Epitheton |
| Italiano | epiteto |
| Русский | эпи́тет epítet |
Talk about this word "epithet." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/epithet. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. epithet. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/epithet "epithet." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/epithet.Cite this
@misc{epithet_2026,
title = {epithet},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/epithet},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
