Word of the Day: aphorism

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