Definition: An adjective or adjectival phrase used to define a characteristic quality or attribute of some person or thing.
“Epithet.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/epithet. Accessed 1 Sep. 2022.
Informal: Epithets tend to be short, witty phrases that describe the character or personality of a person or thing. They are most commonly used as an attachment to names, especially seen in Greek mythology, and are a really effective way to describe a set of characteristics with great meaning with the fewest words possible.
Examples: Voldemort, He-who-must-not-be-named; Trinity Prep Students, the top 1% of test takers.
[Voldemort and Trinity Prep Students are both being defined using an epithet, that comes right after the word]
Etymology:
- Latin epitheton, from Greek, from neuter of epithetos added, from epitithenai to put on, add, from epi- + tithenai to put
Nowadays, can have a negative connotation. At its most basic, epithet comes from Greek epitithenai, meaning "to put on" or "to add". This means epithets are essentially just additional phrases onto a person or thing.
“Epithet.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/epithet. Accessed 1 Sep. 2022.
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