epithet
Look at other dictionaries:
Epithet — Ep i*thet, n. [L. epitheton, Gr. ?, fr. ? added, fr. ? to add; epi upon, to + ? to put, place: cf. F. [ e]pith[ e]te. See {Do}.] 1. An adjective expressing some quality, attribute, or relation, that is properly or specially appropriate to a… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
epithet — An epithet is an adjective indicating some quality or attribute (good or bad) which the speaker or writer (or the verdict of history) regards as characteristic of a person or thing, eg Charles the Bold, Ethelred the Unready, Philip the Good,… … Modern English usage
Epithet — Ep i*thet, v. t. To describe by an epithet. [R.] [1913 Webster] Never was a town better epitheted. Sir H. Wotton … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
epithet — 1570s, descriptive name for a person or thing, from M.Fr. épithète or directly from L. epitheton, from Gk. epitheton something added, adjective often used as noun, from neut. of epithetos attributed, added, from epitithenai to add on, from epi in … Etymology dictionary
epithet — [n] nickname appellation, description, designation, name, sobriquet, tag, title; concept 683 … New thesaurus
epithet — ► NOUN ▪ a word or phrase expressing a quality or attribute of the person or thing mentioned. ORIGIN Greek epitheton, from epitithenai add … English terms dictionary
epithet — [ep′ə thet΄, ep′əthət] n. [L epitheton < Gr, lit., that which is added < epitithenai, to put on, add < epi , on + tithenai, to put, DO1] 1. an adjective, noun, or phrase, often specif. a disparaging one, used to characterize some person… … English World dictionary
Epithet — An epithet (from Greek ἐπίθετον epitheton , neut. of ἐπίθετος epithetos , attributed, added [ [http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi bin/ptext?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0057%3Aentry%3D%2339438 Epithetos, Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek… … Wikipedia
epithet — epithetic, epithetical, adj. /ep euh thet /, n. 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… … Universalium
epithet — strictly speaking, describes a word or phrase that is used in place of a name. Calling Tarzan King of the Jungle is to employ an epithet. More commonly nowadays, however, epithet is used to describe an abusive or contemptuous utterance. A few… … Bryson’s dictionary for writers and editors
