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apothegm

 
Dictionary: ap·o·thegm  ap·o·phthegm (ăp'ə-thĕm') pronunciation
also n.
A terse, witty, instructive saying; a maxim.

[Greek apophthegma, from apophthengesthai, to speak plainly : apo-, intensive pref.; see apo- + phthengesthai, phtheg-, to speak.]

apothegmatic ap'o·theg·mat'ic (-thĕg-măt'ĭk) or ap'o·theg·mat'i·cal (-ĭ-kəl) adj.
apothegmatically ap'o·theg·mat'i·cal·ly adv.

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Word Overheard: apothegmatic
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Time magazine put Ann Coulter on the cover and used apothegmatic (terse and witty) in the article.

"But no one on the right is so iconic, such a totem of this particular moment. Coulter epitomizes the way politics is now discussed on the airwaves, where opinions must come violently fast and cause as much friction as possible. No one, right or left, delivers the required apothegmatic commentary on the world with as much glee or effectiveness as Coulter."

Posted April 18, 2005.

Literary Dictionary: apophthegm
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apophthegm [ap‐ŏ‐them] or apothegm, an aphorism or maxim, especially one of the pithiest kind. Boswell refers to Johnson's famous saying, ‘Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel’, as an apophthegm. A person who composes apophthegms is an apophthegmatist.

Adjective: apophthegmatic or apothegmatic.

Obscure Words: apothegm
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a short, pithy and instructive saying or formulation: aphorism; also apopthegm
WordNet: apothegm
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Note: click on a word meaning below to see its connections and related words.

The noun has one meaning:

Meaning #1: a short pithy instructive saying
  Synonyms: aphorism, apophthegm


 
 
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Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Read more
Answers Corporation Word Overheard. © 1999-2009 by Answers Corporation. All rights reserved.  Read more
Literary Dictionary. The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Literary Terms. Copyright © Chris Baldick 2001, 2004. All rights reserved.  Read more
Obscure Words. © 2008 by Michael A. Fischer http://home.comcast.net/~wwftd Read more
WordNet. WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.  Read more