What does epitome mean?

Definitions for epitome
ɪˈpɪt ə miepit·o·me

This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word epitome.

Princeton's WordNet

  1. prototype, paradigm, epitome, imagenoun

    a standard or typical example

    "he is the prototype of good breeding"; "he provided America with an image of the good father"

  2. epitomenoun

    a brief abstract (as of an article or book)

GCIDE

  1. Epitomenoun

    A compact or condensed representation of anything; something possessing conspicuously or to a high degree the qualities of a class.

Wiktionary

  1. epitomenoun

    The embodiment or encapsulation of.

  2. epitomenoun

    A representative example.

  3. epitomenoun

    The height; the best.

  4. epitomenoun

    A brief summary.

Samuel Johnson's Dictionary

  1. EPITOMEnoun

    Abridgment; abbreviature; compendious abstract; compendium.

    Etymology: ἐπιτομὴ.

    This is a poor epitome of your’s,
    Which, by th’ interpretation of full time,
    May shew like all yourself. William Shakespeare, Coriolanus.

    Epitomes are helpful to the memory, and of good private use; but set forth for publick monuments, accuse the industrious writers of delivering much impertinency. Henry Wotton.

    I think it would be well, if there were a short and plain epitome made, containing the chief and most material heads. John Locke, on Education.

    Such abstracts and epitomes may be reviewed in their proper places. Isaac Watts, Improvement of the Mind.

Wikipedia

  1. Epitome

    An epitome (; Greek: ἐπιτομή, from ἐπιτέμνειν epitemnein meaning "to cut short") is a summary or miniature form, or an instance that represents a larger reality, also used as a synonym for embodiment. Epitomacy represents "to the degree of." An abridgment differs from an epitome in that an abridgment is made of selected quotations of a larger work; no new writing is composed, as opposed to the epitome, which is an original summation of a work, at least in part. Many documents from the Ancient Greek and Roman worlds survive now only "in epitome," referring to the practice of some later authors (epitomators) who wrote distilled versions of larger works now lost. Some writers attempted to convey the stance and spirit of the original, while others added further details or anecdotes regarding the general subject. As with all secondary historical sources, a different bias not present in the original may creep in. Documents surviving in epitome differ from those surviving only as fragments quoted in later works and those used as unacknowledged sources by later scholars, as they can stand as discrete documents but refracted through the views of another author. Epitomes of a kind are still produced today when dealing with a corpus of literature, especially classical works often considered dense, unwieldy and unlikely to be read by the average person, to make them more accessible: some are more along the lines of abridgments, such as many which have been written of Edward Gibbon's The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, a work of six large volumes (about 3600 pages) often published as one volume of about 1400 pages. Some are of the same type as the ancient epitome, such as various epitomes of the Summa Theologiae of Thomas Aquinas, originally written as an introductory textbook in theology and now accessible to very few except for the learned in theology and Aristotelian philosophy, such as A Summa of the Summa and A Shorter Summa. Many epitomes today are published under the general title "The Companion to ...", such as The Oxford Companion to Aristotle, or "An Overview of ...", or "guides," such as An Overview of the Thought of Immanuel Kant, How to Read Hans Urs von Balthasar, or, in some cases, as an introduction, in the cases of An Introduction to Søren Kierkegaard or A Very Short Introduction to the New Testament (many philosophical "introductions" and "guides" share the epitomic form, unlike general "introductions" to a field).

ChatGPT

  1. epitome

    An epitome is a person or thing that is a perfect example or representation of a particular quality, concept, or type. It's a standard or ideal example embodying the very best of a certain characteristic or attribute. It can also refer to a summary or brief representation of something.

Webster Dictionary

  1. Epitomenoun

    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

  2. Epitomenoun

    a compact or condensed representation of anything

  3. Etymology: [L., fr. Gr. a surface incision, also, and abridgment, fr. to cut into, cut short; 'epi` upon + te`mnein to cut: cf. F. pitome. See Tome.]

Wikidata

  1. Epitome

    An epitome is a summary or miniature form; an instance that represents a larger reality, also used as a synonym for embodiment. Epitomacy represents, "to the degree of." Many documents from the Ancient Greek and Roman worlds survive now only "in epitome", referring to the practice of some later authors who wrote distilled versions of larger works now lost. Some writers attempted to convey the stance and spirit of the original, while others added further details or anecdotes regarding the general subject. As with all secondary historical sources, a different bias not present in the original may creep in. Documents surviving in epitome differ from those surviving only as fragments quoted in later works, and those used as unacknowledged sources by later scholars, as they can stand as discrete documents, albeit refracted through the views of another author. Epitomes of a kind are still produced today, when dealing with a corpus of literature, especially those classical works which are often considered dense and unwieldy, and unlikely to be read by the average person, in order to make them more accessible: some of these are more along the lines of abridgments, such as many which have been written of Gibbon's The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, a work of eight large volumes, often published as one volume of about 1200 pages.

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary

  1. Epitome

    e-pit′o-me, n. an abridgment or short summary of anything, as of a book.—adj. Epitom′ical, like an epitome.—v.t. Epit′omise, to make an epitome of: to shorten: to condense.—ns. Epit′omiser, Epit′omist, one who abridges.—In epitome, on a small scale. [Gr.,—epi, temnein, to cut.]

Suggested Resources

  1. epitome

    Song lyrics by epitome -- Explore a large variety of song lyrics performed by epitome on the Lyrics.com website.

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Numerology

  1. Chaldean Numerology

    The numerical value of epitome in Chaldean Numerology is: 7

  2. Pythagorean Numerology

    The numerical value of epitome in Pythagorean Numerology is: 2

Examples of epitome in a Sentence

  1. Doug Pederson:

    You talk about a proven winner, hes the epitome of that, what hes overcome in his career on and off the football field and what hes come through and to see him out there playing now, Ive been so happy for him.

  2. Katrina Pierson:

    Erin Burnett OutFront, your viewers, I'm pretty sure, have run into an individual that is the complete epitome of annoying to where you absolutely have to finally give in in order to get on about your day.

  3. Blaine Luetkemeyer:

    Whether it is reckless spending or burdensome regulations, this administration is no friend to Main Street USA, this administration is the epitome of big government. This kind of policymaking is driving the economic headwinds Americans are currently facing.

  4. Patrick Korten:

    We went to war against Hitler, his picture was there. It was not admiringly. It was him as the epitome of the enemy that we went to fight against.

  5. Mo Canady:

    What happened last Monday is atrocious. I dont now how someone who wears a uniform, like I used to do, could get to that point. Thats evil, but ... I think theres some shortsightedness here. When its done right, the SRO program really is the epitome of community-based policing. I hate to see the baby thrown out with the bathwater.

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Translations for epitome

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"epitome." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 21 Nov. 2024. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/epitome>.

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    steering mechanism for a vessel; a mechanical device by which a vessel is steered
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