epithet en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- /ˈɛp.əˌθɛt/
- /ˈɛp.ɪˌθɛt/
- (US) audio
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₁ep-der. Proto-Indo-European *h₁épsder. Proto-Indo-European *h₁épi Proto-Hellenic *epí Ancient Greek ἐπί (epí) Ancient Greek ἐπῐ- (epĭ-) Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁- Proto-Indo-European *dʰédʰeh₁ti Ancient Greek τῐ́θημῐ (tĭ́thēmĭ) Ancient Greek ἐπιτίθημι (epitíthēmi) Proto-Indo-European *-tós Proto-Hellenic *-tós Ancient Greek -τος (-tos) Ancient Greek ἐπίθετος (epíthetos) Proto-Indo-European *-om Proto-Hellenic *-on Ancient Greek -ον (-on) Ancient Greek ἐπίθετον (epítheton)lbor. Latin epithetonder. Middle French épithèteder. English epithet 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.
Meanings
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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.
1831, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], chapter VII, in Romance and Reality. […], volume III, London: Henry Colburn and Richard Bentley, […], →OCLC, page 130:
- A term used as a qualifier of the name of a deity in order to designate said deity in a particular aspect or role.
- 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”.
2006, Eric L. Goldstein, The Price of Whiteness: Jews, Race, and American Identity:Counterprotesters shouted epithets as they walked by, but the opposing groups kept it nonviolent.
2025 January 15, Linda Feldmann, “Outside the DC jail, where Jan. 6 rage and devotion live on”, in The Christian Science Monitor, archived from the original on 24 Jan 2025:Her book includes an incisive discussion of misogyny on the New Right. [Laura K.] Field notes how “gynocracy” and “the longhouse” have become overwrought MAGA epithets for an unbearably feminized and pluralist society.
2025 December 17, Jennifer Szalai, “The Intellectuals Fueling the MAGA Movement”, in The New York Times Book Review, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 17 Dec 2025:Politico reported that epithets appeared more than 251 times.
2025 October 15, David W. Chen, Megan Mineiro, “Republicans Face Fallout From Racist and Homophobic Texts”, in The New York Times, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 17 Oct 2025:
- 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.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| epithets | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Deriveds
epithetically · epithetry · epithetical · generic epithet · epithetize · epithetise · epithetism · species epithet · epithetic · subspecific epithet
Synonyms
byname · to-name · eponym · byname · cognomen · surname
Translations (84)
cmn 修飾語 /修饰语 (term used to characterize a person or thing) · fr épithète (abusive or contemptuous word or phrase) · ka ეპითეტი (term used to characterize a person or thing) · de Epitheton (word in the scientific name of a taxon following the name of the genus or species) · de Beiwort (term used as a descriptive substitute for the name or title of a person) · ta அடைமொழி (term used to characterize a person or thing) · da skældsord (abusive or contemptuous word or phrase) · kk эпитет (term used to characterize a person or thing) · nn epitet (term used to characterize a person or thing) · ca epítet (term used to characterize a person or thing) · ru эпи́тет (term used to characterize a person or thing) · fi epiteetti (term used to characterize a person or thing) · nl scheldnaam (abusive or contemptuous word or phrase) · cs epiteton (term used to characterize a person or thing) · pl epitet (abusive or contemptuous word or phrase) · fa گواسه (term used to characterize a person or thing) · ja 渾名 (term used to characterize a person or thing) · cmn 稱號 /称号 (term used to characterize a person or thing) · de Beiname (term used to characterize a person or thing) · fa صفت (term used to characterize a person or thing) · de Beiname (term used as a descriptive substitute for the name or title of a person) · it epiteto (term used to characterize a person or thing) · de Schimpfname (abusive or contemptuous word or phrase) · de Schimpfwort (abusive or contemptuous word or phrase) · de Epitheton (term used to characterize a person or thing) · ja あだ名 (term used to characterize a person or thing) · de Attribut (term used to characterize a person or thing) · grc ἐπίθετον (term used as a descriptive substitute for the name or title of a person) · nl epitheton (term used as a descriptive substitute for the name or title of a person) · ta வன்சொல் (abusive or contemptuous word or phrase) · hu epitéta (term used to characterize a person or thing) · nl toenaam (term used to characterize a person or thing) · es epíteto (term used to characterize a person or thing) · fi epiteetti (term used as a descriptive substitute for the name or title of a person) · eo epiteto (term used to characterize a person or thing) · fi lajinimi (word in the scientific name of a taxon following the name of the genus or species) · de Spitzname (term used as a descriptive substitute for the name or title of a person) · hu jelző (term used to characterize a person or thing) · el επίθετο (term used to characterize a person or thing) · ar صِفَة (term used to characterize a person or thing) · ko 형용사구 (term used to characterize a person or thing) · pt epíteto (term used to characterize a person or thing) · da tilnavn (term used as a descriptive substitute for the name or title of a person) · sl pridevek (term used to characterize a person or thing) · fi alalajinimi (word in the scientific name of a taxon following the name of the genus or species) · nn epitet (word in the scientific name of a taxon following the name of the genus or species) · ko 수식어 (term used to characterize a person or thing) · it epiteto (abusive or contemptuous word or phrase) · ca epítet (abusive or contemptuous word or phrase) · fi mainesana (term used to characterize a person or thing) · ar صِفَة (term used as a descriptive substitute for the name or title of a person) · nl epitheton (word in the scientific name of a taxon following the name of the genus or species) · it epiteto (word in the scientific name of a taxon following the name of the genus or species) · fr épithète (term used to characterize a person or thing) · bg епитет (term used to characterize a person or thing) · it epiteto (term used as a descriptive substitute for the name or title of a person) · ru эпи́тет (word in the scientific name of a taxon following the name of the genus or species) · da epitet (term used to characterize a person or thing) · bg прякор (term used as a descriptive substitute for the name or title of a person) · lv epitets (term used to characterize a person or thing) · bg ругатня (abusive or contemptuous word or phrase) · lv epitets (term used as a descriptive substitute for the name or title of a person) · uk епі́тет (term used to characterize a person or thing) · nl schimpnaam (abusive or contemptuous word or phrase) · fi liikanimi (term used as a descriptive substitute for the name or title of a person) · pl epitet (term used as a descriptive substitute for the name or title of a person) · sv epitet (term used to characterize a person or thing) · ko 별칭 (term used as a descriptive substitute for the name or title of a person) · nb epitet (term used to characterize a person or thing) · kk эпитет (word in the scientific name of a taxon following the name of the genus or species) · nl epitheton (term used to characterize a person or thing) · cmn 綽號 /绰号 (term used to characterize a person or thing) · de Beiwort (term used to characterize a person or thing) · fi haukkumanimi (abusive or contemptuous word or phrase) · fr épithète (term used as a descriptive substitute for the name or title of a person) · hy մակդիր (term used to characterize a person or thing) · ca epítet (term used as a descriptive substitute for the name or title of a person) · be эпі́тэт (term used to characterize a person or thing) · grc ἐπίθετον (term used to characterize a person or thing) · nb epitet (word in the scientific name of a taxon following the name of the genus or species) · pl epitet (term used to characterize a person or thing) · ro epitet (term used to characterize a person or thing) · es epíteto específico (word in the scientific name of a taxon following the name of the genus or species) · ta அடைமொழி (term used as a descriptive substitute for the name or title of a person)
wikipedia: Charles Edward Stuart · wikipedia: Ivan the Terrible