a. [ad. Gr. ἐπιθετικός, f. ἐπιτιθέναι (see EPITHET).]
† a. Abounding with epithets (obs.). b. Pertaining to, or of the nature of, an epithet.
a. 1764. Lloyd, Poems, On Rhyme, 178. Verse … which flows In epithetic measured prose.
1868. Arber, in Sidney’s Apol. Poetrie, Introd. 12. The epithets and epithetic phrases.
1874. Sayce, Compar. Philol., vi. 210. A language in which we may well expect to find general epithetic terms.
Hence Epithetical a. = EPITHETIC. Epithetically adv., in an epithetic manner.
1715. M. Davies, Icon Libell., I. 10. Some other Epithetical Term or Additional Word.
1837. Dickens, Pickw., xl. Sam, after bandying a few epithetical remarks with Mr. Smouch, followed at once.
1841. D’Israeli, Amen. Lit. (1867), 557. Shakespeare bears away the prize among these epithetical allotments.
1857. F. Hall, in Jrnl. Asiat. Soc. Bengal (1859), XXVII. 223. The word for ‘sun’ … is, in the original, represented epithetically by a compound signifying ‘the not cold-rayed.’ Ibid. (1868), Benares Anc. & Mod., 20. At least thirty or forty epithetical designations of Benares are scattered [etc.].
