Dictionary of English - epigram, epigraph, epitaph, or epithet

An epigram, originally an inscription on a monument or statue, is now a short, witty statement, especially one with two counterbalancing halves: Francis Bacon popularized the epigram: 'If the hill will not come to Mahomet, Mahomet will go to the hill'. An epigraph is either an inscription on a monument or statue, or a motto or quotation at the beginning of a book: The epigraph to E M Forster's novel Howards End is 'Only connect!'.

An epitaph is an inscription on a tomb or grave: Dryden's epitaph on his wife was: 'Here lies my wife: here let her lie!/Now she's at rest, and so am I'. An epithet is an adjective or phrase describing a person or thing: Richard Coeur de Lion earned the epithet 'Lionheart' because of his bravery.

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