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epithet's

 - 4 dictionary results

ep⋅i⋅thet

  [ep-uh-thet]
Use epithet's in a Sentence
–noun
1. 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.
2. 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.”
3. a word, phrase, or expression used invectively as a term of abuse or contempt, to express hostility, etc.
Origin:
1570–80; < L epitheton epithet, adjective < Gk epítheton epithet, something added, equiv. to epi- epi- + the- (var. s. of tithénai to put) + -ton neut. verbid suffix

Related forms:
ep⋅i⋅thet⋅ic, ep⋅i⋅thet⋅i⋅cal, adjective

Synonyms:
1, 2. nickname, sobriquet, designation, appellation. 3. curse, insult, abuse, expletive, obscenity.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To epithet's
ep·i·thet   (ěp'ə-thět')   
n.  

    1. A term used to characterize a person or thing, such as rosy-fingered in rosy-fingered dawn or the Great in Catherine the Great.

    2. A term used as a descriptive substitute for the name or title of a person, such as The Great Emancipator for Abraham Lincoln.

  2. An abusive or contemptuous word or phrase.

  3. Biology A word in the scientific name of an animal or plant following the name of the genus and denoting a species, variety, or other division of the genus, as sativa in Lactuca sativa.


[Latin epitheton, from Greek, neuter of epithetos, added, attributed, from epitithenai, epithe-, to add to : epi-, epi- + tithenai, to place; see dhē- in Indo-European roots.]
ep'i·thet'ic, ep'i·thet'i·cal adj.
Usage Note: Strictly speaking, an epithet need not be derogatory, but the term is commonly used as a simple synonym for term of abuse or slur, as in There is no place for racial epithets in a police officer's vocabulary. This usage is accepted by 80 percent of the Usage Panel.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

epithet 
1579, "descriptive name for a person or thing," from L. from Gk. epitheton, adj. often used as n., from neut. of epithetos "attributed, added," from epitithenai "to add on," from epi- "in addition" + tithenai "to put," from PIE base *dhe- "to put, to do" (see factitious).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: ep·i·thet
Pronunciation: 'ep-&-"thet also -th&t
Function: noun
: the part of a scientific name identifying thespecies, variety, or other subunit within a genus —see SPECIFIC EPITHET
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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