aph·o·rism noun \ˈa-fə-ˌri-zəm\
: a short phrase that expresses a true or wise idea
Full Definition of APHORISM
1: a concise statement of a principle
2: a terse formulation of a truth or sentiment : adage
— aph·o·rist noun
— aph·o·ris·tic adjective
— aph·o·ris·ti·cal·ly adverb
Examples of APHORISM
- When decorating, remember the familiar aphorism, “less is more.”
- <what does the aphorism “Hindsight is 20/20” mean?>
- Confronted by a broadminded, witty, and tolerant cosmopolitan, for whom the infinite varieties of human custom offered a source of inexhaustible fascination, Thucydides presented himself as a humorless nationalist, an intellectual given to political aphorisms and abstract generalizations. —Peter Green, New York Review of Books, 15 May 2008
Origin of APHORISM
Middle French aphorisme, from Late Latin aphorismus, from Greek aphorismos definition, aphorism, from aphorizein to define, from apo- + horizein to bound — more at horizon
First Known Use: 1528
Related to APHORISM
- Synonyms
- adage, saying, apothegm, byword, epigram, maxim, proverb, saw, sententia, word
So cool. I need to work APHORISM into a piece of dialog sometime.