ep·i·thet
(ĕṕə-thĕt́)
[Latin epitheton, from Greek neuter of epithetos, added, attributed, from epitithenai, epithe-, to add to, epi-, epi-, + tithenai, to place.]
noun
- A term used to characterize a person or thing, such as rosy-fingered in rosy-fingered dawn or the Great in Catherine the Great.
- A term used as a descriptive substitute for the name or title of a person, such as The Great Emancipator for Abraham Lincoln.
- An abusive or contemptuous word or phrase.
- 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.
derivatives
- eṕi·thet́ic
- adjective
usage note
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.
