An epithet is a word or short phrase stuck onto a person (or sometimes a thing) to describe them. It can praise: Richard the Lionheart, Catherine the Great. It can sting: a cruel nickname, a racist slur.

An epithet is a word or short phrase stuck onto a person是黏在一個人身上的一個字或短語 (or sometimes a thing)（有時候是一件東西） to describe them用來形容他們。 It can praise它可以是讚美： Richard the Lionheart, Catherine the Great像Richard the Lionheart（獅心王理查）、Catherine the Great（凱薩琳大帝）。 It can sting它也可以帶刺： a cruel nickname, a racist slur像殘忍的綽號，或種族歧視的辱罵。

In older poems it is often a standing label the writer repeats, like “grey-eyed Athena.” In today’s news, though actually, epithet has leaned ugly — “a racial epithet” almost always means a hateful name. The tidy dictionary still allows the proud title and the insult side by side; real talk now uses the word most when the phrase is loaded.

In older poems it is often a standing label the writer repeats在較早的詩裡，它常常是作者反覆使用的固定稱號， like “grey-eyed Athena.”像「grey-eyed Athena（灰眼的雅典娜）」。 In today’s news, though actually但在今天的新聞裡，事實上， epithet has leaned ugly這個字已經偏向負面—— “a racial epithet” almost always means a hateful name「a racial epithet」幾乎都是指帶有惡意的稱呼。 The tidy dictionary still allows the proud title and the insult side by side字典還是把光榮的稱號和辱罵並列； real talk now uses the word most when the phrase is loaded但實際使用時，這個字最常出現在帶有負面意味的場合。

It is a bookish word. For a friendly extra name, students usually want nickname.

It is a bookish word這是個書卷氣很重的字。 For a friendly extra name如果要講友善的暱稱， students usually want nickname學生通常該用的字是nickname。