epithet
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An epithet (, ), also a byname, is a descriptive term (word or phrase) commonly accompanying or occurring in place of the name of a real or fictitious person, place, or thing. It is usually literally descriptive, as in Alexander the Great, Suleiman the Magnificent, Richard the Lionheart, and Ladislaus the Short, or allusive, as in Edward the Confessor, William the Conqueror, Æthelred the Unready, Mehmed the Conqueror, and Bloody Mary.
An epithet is a descriptive word or phrase that regularly accompanies or replaces the name of a person, place, or thing—like "the Great" in Alexander the Great or "the Conqueror" in William the Conqueror. These descriptions can be literally descriptive of someone's characteristics or achievements, or they can be more indirect references that have become associated with a particular figure throughout history.
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Article
8 sectionsContents
- Linguistics
- Literature
- Religion
- Rhetoric
- Usage prior to surnames
- See also
- References
- External links
An epithet (, ), also a byname, is a descriptive term (word or phrase) commonly accompanying or occurring in place of the name of a real or fictitious person, place, or thing. It is usually literally descriptive, as in Alexander the Great, Suleiman the Magnificent, Richard the Lionheart, and Ladislaus the Short, or allusive, as in Edward the Confessor, William the Conqueror, Æthelred the Unready, Mehmed the Conqueror, and Bloody Mary.
The word epithet also may refer to an abusive, defamatory, or derogatory word or phrase. This use is criticized by Martin Manser and other proponents of linguistic prescription. H. W. Fowler noted in 1926 that "epithet is suffering a vulgarization that is giving it an abusive imputation".