7 results for: Aphorism
aph·o·rism
Audio Help [af-uh-riz-uh
m] Pronunciation Key
Audio Help [af-uh-riz-uh
m] 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). |
| Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006. |
Aphorism
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| aph·o·rism
Audio Help (āf'ə-rĭz'əm) Pronunciation Key
n.
[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. |
| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. |
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 |
| aphorism | |
noun | |
| a short pithy instructive saying |
| WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University. |
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. |
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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