Dépithète

Dépithète is a term used in French grammar and rhetoric to refer to a descriptive modifier that directly qualifies a noun within the noun phrase. In many grammars, this function is described as an epithet (épithète), with dépithète emphasizing the relation of the modifier to the noun rather than to the sentence as a whole. The dépithète is typically an adjective or adjectival phrase that expresses a property of the noun.

In usage, the dépithète is part of the noun phrase and agrees with the noun in gender and number. It can appear in a prenominal position (before the noun) or postnominal position (after the noun), depending on the adjective and the nuance sought. A related distinction is the épithète détachée (or épithète libre), where the modifier is set apart by punctuation or intonation for emphasis, while still referring to the same noun.

The primary role of the dépithète is descriptive or evaluative, conveying qualities such as color, size, temperament, or value. For example, in the noun phrase une maison blanche, blanche is a dépithète that directly modifies the noun maison. In literary style, epithets are also used for rhetorical effect, to add vividness or character, as in la noble victime or le grand homme, where the epithet contributes to imagery or characterization.

Dépithète is distinguished from other noun modifiers such as complements of the noun or predicative attributes of the subject, which belong to different syntactic functions. See also épithète, attribut du sujet, and groupe nominal.