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epitome

 
Dictionary: e·pit·o·me   (ĭ-pĭt'ə-mē) pronunciation
n.
  1. A representative or perfect example of a class or type: "He is seen . . . as the epitome of the hawkish, right-of-center intellectual" (Paul Kennedy).
  2. A brief summary, as of a book or article; an abstract.

[Latin epitomē, a summary, from Greek, an abridgment, from epitemnein, to cut short : epi-, epi- + temnein, to cut.]


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Thesaurus: epitome
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noun

    A short summary or version prepared by cutting down a larger work: abridgment, abstract, brief, condensation, synopsis. See words.

Antonyms: epitome
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n

Definition: abbreviation
Antonyms: addition, enlargement, expansion, extension, increase, unabridgment


Word Tutor: epitome
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pronunciation

IN BRIEF: A person or thing that shows all the most typical qualities of something. Also: A summary of the main points.

pronunciation Indifference, to me, is the epitome of evil. — Elie Wiesel.

Wikipedia: Epitome
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An 'epitome (Greek epitemnein—to cut short) is a summary or miniature form; an instance that represents a larger reality, also used as a synonym for embodiment.

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, albeit refracted through the views of another author.

The word is often mispronounced; its correct English pronunciation is IPA: [əˈpɪtəmi].

Examples

Examples of epitomes providing the only record of now lost works include:

See also


Translations: Epitome
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Dansk (Danish)
n. - indbegreb, personifikation, miniatureudgave, resume, sammenfatning

Nederlands (Dutch)
samenvatting, verkorte/verkleinde vorm, belichaming

Français (French)
n. - abrégé, résumé, (fig) modèle type/exemple même, quintessence (d'une idée, d'un sujet)

Deutsch (German)
n. - Inbegriff, Auszug

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - επιτομή, σύνοψη, (μτφ.) τυπικό παράδειγμα, προσωποποίηση, ενσάρκωση (ιδιοτήτων κ.λπ.)

Italiano (Italian)
epitome, personificazione

Português (Portuguese)
n. - epítome (m)

Русский (Russian)
воплощение, итог, олицетворение

Español (Spanish)
n. - epítome, compendio, resumen, personificación

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - typiskt exempel, personifikation, sammanfattning

中文(简体)(Chinese (Simplified))
梗概, 缩影, 节录, 象征

中文(繁體)(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 梗概, 縮影, 節錄, 象徵

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 개략, 축도

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 抜粋, 大要

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) خلاصه, صورة مصغرة‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮תמצית, עיקר, דבר זעיר המייצג דבר אחר, דבר או אדם המייצגים סוג או מעמד‬


 
 
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epitomist
De compendiōsa doctrīna
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Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Read more
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