Definify.com
Webster 1913 Edition
Epitome
E-pit′o-me
,Noun.
pl.
Epitomes
(#)
. [L., fr. Gr. [GREEK] a surface incision, also, and abridgment, fr. [GREEK] to cut into, cut short;
ἐπί
upon + τέμνειν
to cut: cf. F. épitome
. See Tome
.] 1.
A work in which the contents of a former work are reduced within a smaller space by curtailment and condensation; a brief summary; an abridgement.
[An]
epitome
of the contents of a very large book. Sydney Smith.
An
epitome
of English fashionable life. Carlyle.
Syn. – Abridgement; compendium; compend; abstract; synopsis; abbreviature. See
Abridgment
. Webster 1828 Edition
Epitome
EPIT'OME
Definition 2024
epitome
epitome
See also: epítome
English
Noun
epitome (plural epitomes or epitomai)
- (of a class of items) The embodiment or encapsulation of.
- (of a class of items) A representative example.
- (of a class of items) The height; the best.
- (of a written document) A brief summary.
(Can we add an example for this sense?)
Usage notes
The sense ‘the height, the best’ is considered incorrect by some; instead, 'pinnacle' may be preferred.
Synonyms
- (an embodiment of): in a nutshell (modern idiom), synopsis
- (the best): greatest
- (a summary): abstract, synopsis
Antonyms
Derived terms
Derived terms
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Related terms
Translations
embodiment or encapsulation of
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representative example
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summary
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External links
- epitome in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
- epitome in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911
Latin
Alternative forms
Etymology
From Ancient Greek ἐπιτομή (epitomḗ), from ἐπιτέμνω (epitémnō), from ἐπί (epí) + τέμνω (témnō, “to cut”).
Pronunciation
- (Classical) IPA(key): /eˈpi.to.meː/
Noun
epitomē f (genitive epitomēs); first declension
Inflection
First declension, Greek type.
Case | Singular | Plural |
---|---|---|
nominative | epitomē | epitomae |
genitive | epitomēs | epitomārum |
dative | epitomae | epitomīs |
accusative | epitomēn | epitomās |
ablative | epitomē | epitomīs |
vocative | epitomē | epitomae |
Descendants
- English: epitome
References
- epitome in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
- epitome in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
- Félix Gaffiot (1934), “epitome”, in Dictionnaire Illustré Latin-Français, Paris: Hachette.
- epitome in Harry Thurston Peck, editor (1898) Harper's Dictionary of Classical Antiquities, New York: Harper & Brothers
- epitome in Ramminger, Johann (accessed 16 July 2016) Neulateinische Wortliste: Ein Wörterbuch des Lateinischen von Petrarca bis 1700, pre-publication website, 2005-2016