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Dec
30
No matter how well you know that it is pronounced “e-pit-oh-mee,” when you see it in a book you will always in your head first say “e-pi-tome.” I love this word.
Rebecca
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5 Responses to “Epitome”
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I wrote a poem containing this word for Drama class in High School, and when I recited it, I pronounced it “e-pi-tome.” My teacher thought I was ignorant, but I did it on purpose. It’s still one of my favorite words.
I’m guessing that Rosie pronounces hyperbole “hy-per-bole”–and she probably has a lot of company in this regard.
I was reading something to my roommate in college with the word “epitome” in it, and I pronounced it “e-pi-tome”. I’m an English major, and to this day have not lived it down.
It was widely reported at the time that this word was the last straw in Richard Gere’s failing marriage to Cindy Crawford when she was said to have read it whilst they drove past a billboard and then asked Gere what an “e-pi-tome” was. This supposedly lead to a tirade from Gere regarding Cindy’s level of intelligence and education. Heck if I can say if true or not but seems plausible since so many misread this word on first contact.
I really want to concur with everyone, but I always, always pronounce it “ee-pit-oh-mee”. Maybe I had heard it that way a lot growing up so it just… stuck.