epitome

Pronunciation

• IPA: /əˈpɪt.ə.mi/, /ɪˈpɪt.ə.mi/ (UK); /ɪˈpɪt.ə.mi/, /iˈpɪt.ə.mi/ (US)^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin epitome (“abridgment”),^{[2][3][4][5][6]} from Ancient Greek ἐπιτομή (epitomḗ, “abridgment, a cutting on the surface”),^{[2][3][4][5][6]} from epitémnein “to cut short”,^[2][3][4][5] from Ancient Greek ἐπι- (epi-, “into, on”) + τέμνω (témnō, “to cut”).^[2][3][4][5] Barnhart and Etymonline say it came partly through Middle French épitomé.^[3][4] It is related to tome.^[5][6]

Earliest recorded meaning

A brief statement of the chief points of a literary work; an abridgment or abstract (1529; 1520 in Merriam-Webster).^[7][3][5]

Semantic evolution

From the condensed record of a book came the idea of something that represents a larger whole in miniature (1607),^[7][3] and so of a person or thing that typifies a whole class,^[4][3] the sense now most common.^[2][6] The derived verb epitomize went the same way, from “to abridge” (1596) to “to embody, typify” (1628).^[3]

Timeline

• 1520 – Merriam-Webster's date.^[5]
• 1529 – a summary of a written work.^[7][3]
• 1596 – epitomize, to abridge.^[3]
• 1607 – something representing a whole in miniature; a typical example.^[7][3]
• 1628 – epitomize, to typify.^[3]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. A person or thing that is a typical or ideal example of a class or quality; an embodiment.
2. A brief summary of a book or article; an abstract.
3. (in epitome) In brief or miniature form.

Word family

• epitomist
• epitomize

Related words

• tome
• anatomy
• atom

Usage notes

Wiktionary notes that the use of epitome to mean “the height, the best” is considered incorrect by some, who prefer pinnacle.^[1] Random House lists embodiment, exemplification and quintessence as synonyms.^[6]

References

1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
4. ^ a b c d e f Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
5. ^ a b c d e f g Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
6. ^ a b c d e Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
7. ^ a b c d Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press