DictionaryRoot: tithenai
Greek
tithenai
put, place, set
Forms
- the-
- thet- — Stem used in Greek forms referring to something placed.
- thes- — Stem found in Greek nouns referring to placing or a thing placed.
Origin
Reconstructed Proto-Indo-European *dheh₁-, ‘put; set.’
Note
Setting something before others became a metaphor for proposing an idea.
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noun
epithet
EP-ih-thet/ˈepɪθet/
A descriptive word or phrase applied to a person or thing.
Etymology
An epithet is literally something “put onto” or added. That became an added descriptive name—a label attached to people, which can characterize them neutrally or serve as an insult.