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An epithet (from (ギリシア語:ἐπίθετον) ''epitheton'', neut. of ''epithetos'', "attributed, added"〔(Epithetos, Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, "A Greek-English Lexicon", at Perseus )〕) is a byname, or a descriptive term (word or phrase), accompanying or occurring in place of a name and having entered common usage. It can be described as a glorified nickname. It has various shades of meaning when applied to seemingly real or fictitious people, divinities, objects, and binomial nomenclature. It can also be a descriptive title: for example, Alexis I The Quietest or Suleiman the Magnificent. In contemporary use, ''epithet'' often refers to an abusive, defamatory, or derogatory phrase, such as a racial epithet.〔''Dictionary and Thesaurus - Merriam-Webster Online'' at http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/epithet〕 This use as a euphemism is criticized by Martin Manser and other prescriptive linguists.〔Manser, Martin H. (2007), ''Good Word Guide'' sixth edition, A&C Black, p. 147. ISBN 978-0-7136-7759-1〕 ==Linguistics== In linguistics, an epithet only can be a metaphor, essentially a reduced or condensed use of apposition. Epithets are sometimes attached to a person's name or appear in place of his or her name, as what might be described as a glorified nickname or sobriquet. An epithet is linked to its noun by long-established usage. Not every adjective is an epithet. An epithet is especially recognizable when its function is largely decorative, such as if "cloud-gathering Zeus" is employed other than in reference to conjuring up a storm. "The epithets are decorative insofar as they are neither essential to the immediate context nor modelled especially for it. Among other things, they are extremely helpful to fill out a half-verse", Walter Burkert has noted.〔W. Burkert, ''The Orientalizing Revolution: Near Eastern Influence on Greek Culture of the Early Archaic Age'' 1992, p 116.〕 Some epithets are known by the Latin term ''epitheton necessarium'' because they are required to distinguish the bearers, e.g. as an alternative to numbers after a prince's name—such as Richard the Lionheart (Richard I of England), or Charles the Fat alongside Charles the Bald. The same epithet can be used repeatedly joined to different names, e.g. Alexander the Great as well as Constantine the Great. Other epithets can easily be omitted without serious risk of confusion, and are therefore known (again in Latin) as ''epitheton ornans''. Thus the classical Roman author Virgil systematically called his main hero ''pius Aeneas'', the epithet being ''pius'', which means religiously observant, humble and wholesome, as well as calling the armsbearer of Aeneas ''fidus Achates'', the epithet being ''fidus'', which means faithful or loyal. There are also specific types of epithets, such as the ''kenning'' which appears in works such as ''Beowulf''. An example of a kenning would be using the term ''whale-road'' instead of the word "sea". 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Epithet」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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