epitome

Estimated CEFR level: C2 — Proficiency

Estimated from word frequency; not an official CEFR classification.

Definition

  1. noun a standard or typical example
  2. noun a brief abstract (as of an article or book)

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”).

In classic literature

Synonyms

prototype, paradigm, image

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