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maxim

 - 7 dictionary results

max⋅im

[mak-sim]
–noun
1. an expression of a general truth or principle, esp. an aphoristic or sententious one: the maxims of La Rochefoucauld.
2. a principle or rule of conduct.

Origin:
1400–50; late ME maxime ≪ ML maxima (orig. in phrase maxima prōpositiō axiom, lit., greatest proposition), n. use of fem. of L maximus, superl. of magnus great; see much


1. aphorism, saying, adage, apothegm. See proverb.

Max⋅im

[mak-sim; for 4 also Fr. mak-seem, Russ. muh-ksyeem]
–noun
1. Hiram Percy, 1869–1936, U.S. inventor.
2. his father, Sir Hiram Stevens, 1840–1916, English inventor, born in the U.S.: inventor of the Maxim gun.
3. Hudson, 1853–1927, U.S. inventor and explosives expert (brother of Sir Hiram Stevens Maxim).
4. a male given name, form of Maximilian.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To maxim
Gorky also Gorki, Maksim also Maxim Pen name of Aleksei Maksimovich Peshkov. 1868-1936.  
Russian writer who supported the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917 and helped develop socialist realism as the officially accepted literary aesthetic. His works include The Life of Klim Samgin (1925-1936), an unfinished cycle of novels.
max·im   (māk'sĭm)   
n.  A succinct formulation of a fundamental principle, general truth, or rule of conduct. See Synonyms at saying.

[Middle English maxime, from Old French, from Medieval Latin maxima, from maxima (prōpositiō), greatest (premise), feminine of Latin maximus, greatest; see meg- in Indo-European roots.]
Max·im   (māk'sĭm)   
American-born British inventor of an automatic, recoil-operated machine gun (1884), which was widely used during World War I. His brother Hudson (1853-1927) invented smokeless gun powder, and his son Hiram Percy (1896-1936) developed a silencer for firearms.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

maxim 
"precept, principle," 1426, from M.Fr. maxime, from L.L. maxima, usually in maxima propositio "axiom," lit. "greatest premise," fem. of maximus "greatest" (see maximum).

Maxim 
single-barreled, water-cooled machine gun, 1885, named for inventor, U.S.-born British engineer Sir Hiram S. Maxim (1840-1916).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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