epithet
ep·i·thet/ˈɛp.ɪˌθɛt/noun, verb
epithet is spelled E-P-I-T-H-E-T: 7 letters and 3 syllables (ep·i·thet). It appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 34,063rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, epithet means “A term used to characterize a person or thing” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of epithet is epithets.
How many letters and syllables are in epithet?
| Letters | 7: E-P-I-T-H-E-T |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3: ep·i·thet |
| In writing | about once in every 1 million words; the 34,063rd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is epithet?
Epithet appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 34,063rd most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce epithet?
- /ˈɛp.ɪˌθɛt/
- /ˈɛp.əˌθɛt/
Epithet has 3 syllables, split ep·i·thet in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-epithet.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of epithet
- epithets plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- epitheting participle, present
- epitheted participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does epithet mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A term used to characterize a person or thing.
- 2
A term used as a qualifier of the name of a deity in order to designate said deity in a particular aspect or role.
- 3
A term used as a descriptive substitute for the name or title of a person.
- 4
One of many formulaic words or phrases used in the Iliad and Odyssey to characterize a person, a group of people, or a thing.
- 5
An abusive or contemptuous word or phrase.
- 6
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.
verb
- 1
To term; to refer to as.
He was epitheted "the king of fools".
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Epithet in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | épithète |
| German | Beiwort, Epitheton, Attribut, Beiname |
| Portuguese | epíteto |
| Spanish | epíteto , epíteto específico |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.