ep ‧ i ‧ thet /ˈepəθet, ˈepɪθet/ BrE AmE noun [countable]
[ Date: 1500-1600 ; Language: Latin ; Origin: epitheton , from Greek , from epitithenai 'to put on, add' ]
a word or short phrase used to describe someone, especially when praising them or saying something unpleasant about them:
He hardly deserves the epithet ‘fascist’.