epithet

noun

ep·​i·​thet ˈe-pə-ˌthet 

 also  -thət

1

a

: a characterizing word or phrase accompanying or occurring in place of the name of a person or thing

b

: a disparaging or abusive word or phrase

c

: the part of a taxonomic name identifying a subordinate unit within a genus

2

obsolete : expression

epithetic

ˌe-pə-ˈthe-tik 

adjective

or epithetical

ˌe-pə-ˈthe-ti-kəl 

Did you know?

Nowadays, epithet is usually used negatively, with the meaning "a disparaging word or phrase," but it wasn't always that way. Epithet comes from Greek epitithenai, meaning "to put on" or "to add." In its oldest sense, epithet is simply a descriptive word or phrase, especially one joined by fixed association to the name of someone or something, as in "Ivan the Great" or the Homeric phrase "wine-dark sea."

Synonyms

• alias
• byname
• cognomen
• handle
• moniker
• monicker
• nickname
• sobriquet
• soubriquet
• surname

Examples of epithet in a Sentence

His charitable works have earned him the epithet “Mr. Philanthropy.”

Many were offended by her use of racial epithets.

a group of angry people hurling epithets at one another

Recent Examples on the Web

Today, the term is more often used as a negative epithet—but on her wise and poignant R&B album Heaux Tales, Jazmine Sullivan celebrates gossip’s emotional significance, showing the revelations and self-explorations that arise when women nurture community. —Pitchfork, 1 Oct. 2024

Risqué language and colorful ethnics epithets flowed as liberally as the liquor, drawing the ire of a nearby diner who, while not nearly as famous, was at least as wealthy and possibly more influential. —Lizz Schumer, People.com, 29 Sep. 2024

The organization abandoned its name of over eight decades, the Red Skins, which many Native Americans viewed as a racist epithet. —Greg McKenna, Fortune, 17 Oct. 2024

If the flipping of this script began with Walz’s epithet, the convention is completing the turnover. —Gal Beckerman, The Atlantic, 22 Aug. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Latin epitheton, from Greek, from neuter of epithetos added, from epitithenai to put on, add, from epi- + tithenai to put — more at do

First Known Use

1579, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing epithet

• specific epithet

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Kids Definition

epithet

noun

ep·​i·​thet ˈep-ə-ˌthet 

1

a

: a word or phrase (as Lionhearted in "Richard the Lionhearted") that expresses a quality thought to be characteristic of a person or thing

b

: a word or name used as a term of abuse

2

: the part of a taxonomic name identifying a subordinate unit within a genus

epithetic

ˌep-ə-ˈthet-ik 

adjective

or epithetical

-ˈthet-i-kəl 

Medical Definition

epithet

noun

ep·​i·​thet

ˈep-ə-ˌthet also -thət

: the part of a scientific name identifying the species, variety, or other subunit within a genus see specific epithet