Both Uses

epithet
in
The Idiot
(Auto-generated)

I do not agree, in fact I am angry, when I hear you called an idiot; you are far too intelligent to deserve such an epithet; but you are so far STRANGE as to be unlike others; that you must allow, yourself.
Chpt 4.9 *

epithet = an insulting or abusive word or phrase
It may be said that these outbursts and epithets, such as "wet hen" (in which the maternal solicitude usually showed itself), only made Alexandra laugh.†
Chpt 3.1

Definitions:

(1) (epithet as in: racial epithet)
an insulting or abusive word or phrase used to refer to a person or group
(2) (epithet as in: earned the epithet, "The Great")
a descriptive word or phrase used with a name or in place of it

An epithet often highlights a special quality of a person, place, or thing—such as Alexander the Great, The Great Emancipator for Abraham Lincoln, The Big Apple for New York City, or man's best friend for a dog.
(3) (meaning too rare to warrant focus)
In botany, a specific epithet or epithet is the word identifying the species.