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7 results for: Aphorism

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This
aph·o·rism    Audio Help   [af-uh-riz-uhm] Pronunciation Key
–noun
a terse saying embodying a general truth, or astute observation, as “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely” (Lord Acton).
[Origin: 1520–30; F aphorisme < LL aphorismus < Gk aphorismós definition, equiv. to aphor(ízein) to define (see aphorize) + -ismos -ism]

—Related forms
aph·o·ris·mic, aph·o·ris·mat·ic    Audio Help   [af-uh-riz-mat-ik] Pronunciation Key, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
Aphorism

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American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
aph·o·rism    Audio Help   (āf'ə-rĭz'əm)  Pronunciation Key 
n.  
  1. A tersely phrased statement of a truth or opinion; an adage. See Synonyms at saying.
  2. A brief statement of a principle.


[French aphorisme, from Old French, from Late Latin aphorismus, from Greek aphorismos, from aphorizein, to delimit, define : apo-, apo- + horizein, to delimit, define; see horizon.]

aph'o·rist n., aph'o·ris'tic (-rĭs'tĭk) adj., aph'o·ris'ti·cal·ly adv.
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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Online Etymology Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
aphorism 
1528 (especially in ref. to the "Aphorisms of Hippocrates"), from M.Fr. aphorisme, from L.L. aphorismus, from Gk. aphorismos "definition, pithy sentence," from aphorizein "to mark off, divide" apo- "from" + horizein "to bound." An aphorism is a short, pithy statement containing a truth of general import; an axiom is a statement of self-evident truth; a theorem is a demonstrable proposition in science or mathematics; an epigram is like an aphorism, but lacking in general import. Maxim and saying can be used as synonyms for aphorism.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This
aphorism

noun
a short pithy instructive saying 

WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University.
American Heritage New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition - Cite This Source - Share This
aphorism [(af-uh-riz-uhm)]

A concise and often witty statement of wisdom or opinion, such as “Children should be seen and not heard,” or “People who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones.”


[Chapter:] Conventions of Written English


The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Aphorism

Aph"o*rism\, n. [F. aphorisme, fr. Gr. ? definition, a short, pithy sentence, fr. ? to mark off by boundaries, to define; ? from + ? to separate, part. See Horizon.] A comprehensive maxim or principle expressed in a few words; a sharply defined sentence relating to abstract truth rather than to practical matters.

The first aphorism of Hippocrates is, "Life is short, and the art is long." --Fleming.

Syn: Axiom; maxim; adage; proverb; apothegm; saying; saw; truism; dictum. See Axiom.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.

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