 |
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Epithet \Ep"i*thet\, noun [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 person or thing; as, a just man; a verdant lawn.
A prince [Henry III.] to whom the epithet ''worthless'' seems best applicable. --Hallam.
2. Term; expression; phrase. ''Stuffed with epithets of war.'' --Shak.
Syn: {Epithet}, {Title}.
Usage: The name epithet was formerly extended to nouns which give a title or describe character (as the ''epithet of liar''), but is now confined wholly to adjectives. Some rhetoricians, as Whately, restrict it still further, considering the term epithet as belonging only to a limited class of adjectives, viz., those which add nothing to the sense of their noun, but simply hold forth some quality necessarily implied therein; as, the bright sun, the lofty heavens, etc. But this restriction does not prevail in general literature. Epithet is sometimes confounded with application, which is always a noun or its equivalent.
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Epithet \Ep"i*thet\, verb (used with an object) To describe by an epithet. [R.]
Never was a town better epitheted. --Sir H. Wotton.
From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:
epithet
noun
1: a defamatory or abusive word or phrase; "sticks and stones may break my bones but names can never hurt me" [syn: {name}]
2: descriptive word or phrase
From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:
63 Moby Thesaurus words for "epithet": abuse, appellation, appellative, binomen, binomial name, blackguard, byword, call names, catchword, cognomen, cryptonym, curse, cuss, cuss out, cuss word, damn, denomination, designation, device, dirty name, dirty word, dysphemism, empty title, epigraph, epithetize, eponym, euonym, expletive, foul invective, handle, honorific, hyponym, inscription, label, moniker, motto, name, namesake, naughty word, no-no, nomen, nomen nudum, oath, obscenity, profane oath, proper name, proper noun, revile, scientific name, secret name, slogan, style, swear at, swearword, tag, tag line, tautonym, title, trinomen, trinomial name, vilify, vituperate, watchword
 |
Definitions retrieved from local copies of the freely distributed DICT client/server software and databases. Click here for database copyright information. - KM |