| epithet |
| Definition: A nickname that describes the thing that is being named. |
| Example:
(1) The Great Communicator (Ronald Reagan) (2) The Sultan of Swat (Babe Ruth) |
| Etymology: The word ultimately derives from the Greek epitheton (from epi, in addition + tithenai, to put). |
| Oxford English Dictionary: Its first citation is from 1579: "Christen them by names and epithites nothing agreeable or appliante to the thinges themselves." (G. Harvey Letter-bk. (1884) 61 ) |