epitome means the embodiment or encapsulation of a class of items. It carries an Arena rating of 1643, earned across 3 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, epitome ranks #1,707 of 14,308 for Most Malleable Words, #2,308 of 14,431 for Most Betrayed by Its Sound, #2,350 of 14,448 for Most Incisive Words, #2,356 of 14,297 for Best Fossil-Poetry Words.
epitome is pronounced /əˈpɪt.ə.mi/.
Why “epitome” is a great word
A person or thing that is a perfect example of a particular quality or type. From the Latin epitomē ("an abridgment"), from the Ancient Greek ἐπιτομή (epitomḗ, "an abridgment, a surface-incision"), from ἐπιτέμνω (epitémnō, "to cut upon the surface, cut short, abridge"); first recorded in English use in the 1520s. Unlike "antithesis" (which posits a stark opposite) or "summary" (which merely condenses a text), the epitome is the distilled, concentrated form of the thing itself. It is the dancer whose single gesture contains the entire history of her discipline, the single drop of perfume containing a whole field of lavender, the sentence that compresses a life of feeling—the impossible economy by which the part becomes more than the whole, and perfection reveals itself as a kind of reduction.
Etymology
From Middle French, from Latin epitomē, from Ancient Greek ἐπιτομή (epitomḗ, “an abridgment, also a surface-incision”), from ἐπιτέμνω (epitémnō, “to cut upon the surface, cut short, abridge”), from ἐπι- (epi-, “up”) + τέμνω (témnō, “to cut”).
noun
- The embodiment or encapsulation of a class of items.“This is a poore Epitome of yours, / Which by th'interpretation of full time, / May ſhew like all your ſelfe.”
- A representative example.“The minute they see me, fear me / I'm the epitome of "public enemy"”
- The height; the best; the most vivid.“He looks the very epitome of fright: I do not think he could eat one of those apples, if it were given him.”
- A brief summary of a text.“Having now so amply declared unto thee most of the principal things of this thrice-renowned and illustrious city, I will briefly by way of an epitome mention most of the other particulars thereof, and so finally shut up this narration: there are reported to be in Venice and the circumjacent islands two hundred churches in which are one hundred forth-three pairs of organs, fifty-four monasteries, t”
Words closest in meaning
By meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.
- quintessence 87% match — A thing that is the most perfect example of its type; the most perfect embodiment of something; epitome, prototype. vs epitome →
- exemplar 87% match — Something fit to be imitated; an ideal, a worthy model or role model: a desirable example. vs epitome →
- quintessential 86% match — Of the nature of a quintessence (in all senses); being or relating to the ultimate essence of something. vs epitome →
- paragon 84% match — A person of preeminent qualities, who acts as a pattern or model for others. vs epitome →
- archetype 83% match — An original model of which all other similar concepts, objects, or persons are merely copied, derivative, emulated, or patterned. vs epitome →
- consummate 83% match — Complete in every detail, perfect, absolute. vs epitome →
- exemplarity 82% match — The quality of being exemplary. vs epitome →
- exemplify 82% match — To show or illustrate by example. vs epitome →