Epithet
An epithet is a descriptive word or phrase attached to a person, place, or thing to highlight a quality, often in a memorable or traditional way. In poetry, epithets may be repeated as fixed descriptions, as in Homeric phrases such as "swift-footed Achilles" or "rosy-fingered dawn," helping characterize figures quickly and give the verse a familiar rhythm.
Example
Rosy dawn climbed over the hill,
Grey sea kept watch below;
The weary sailors faced the light
With salt-stung hands aglow.
Related Definitions
[n] a defamatory or abusive word or phrase; "sticks and stones may break my bones but names can never hurt me"
[n] descriptive word or phrase
Related Terms
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,