aphorism

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.]

For more information on aphorism, visit Britannica.com.

noun

A usually pithy and familiar statement expressing an observation or principle generally accepted as wise or true: adage, byword, maxim, motto, proverb, saw, saying. See words.

aphorism, a statement of some general principle, expressed memorably by condensing much wisdom into few words: ‘Give a man a mask and he will tell you the truth’ (Wilde); ‘The road of excess leads to the palace of wisdom’ (Blake). Aphorisms often take the form of a definition: ‘Hypocrisy is a homage paid by vice to virtue’ (La Rochefoucauld). An author who composes aphorisms is an aphorist.

Adjective: aphoristic.

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.”

A brief statement containing an important truth or fundamental principle.

n.

Predigested wisdom.

    The flabby wine-skin of his brain
    Yields to some pathologic strain,
    And voids from its unstored abysm
    The driblet of an aphorism.
                                           "The Mad Philosopher," 1697

Dansk (Danish)
n. - aforisme, strøtanke

Nederlands (Dutch)
aforisme, korte principiële uitspraak

Français (French)
n. - aphorisme

Deutsch (German)
n. - Aphorismus, Maxime

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - αφορισμός, απόφθεγμα

Italiano (Italian)
aforisma

Português (Portuguese)
n. - aforismo (m), provérbio (m)

Русский (Russian)
афоризм

Español (Spanish)
n. - aforismo

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - aforism

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
谚语, 格言, 警语

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 諺語, 格言, 警語

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 금언, 격언

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - アフォリズム, 警句, 格言

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) حكمه, قول مأثور‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮פתגם, מימרה, הגדרה קצרה של עיקרון‬

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