An epigram is a pithy saying or poem that expresses an idea in a clever, amusing, or witty way (Oscar Wilde provided a popular epigram in “I can resist everything except temptation”); an epigraph is an inscription on a building, statue, or coin, or a brief phrase or quotation set at the beginning of a work; an epitaph is a phrase or poetic inscription at a tomb or on a gravestone in memory of the deceased; an epithet is an adjective or description expressing the characteristic quality of a person or thing.