Aphorism
noun, verb ·Moderate ·College level
Definitions
- 1 A concise, terse, laconic, or memorable expression of a general truth or principle.
"As the promoters expected the overall size of the rail market to expand, it demonstrated the aphorism that 'a rising tide lifts all the boats' associated with the belief that improved services benefit all the participants."
- 2 a short pithy instructive saying wordnet
- 1 To speak or write aphorisms.
"But after each of us had inscribed his share (once I robbed my Aegidius for the purpose), our literary union was over; each of us tore his contribution out of the book and “aphorismed” on his own from then on."
Example
More examples"The aphorism is, how to say it?, the champagne of melancholia; each short statement encapsulates years of disillusionment distilled in a moment of intoxication."
Etymology
From Middle French aphorisme, from Late Latin aphorismus, from Ancient Greek ἀφορισμός (aphorismós, “pithy phrase containing a general truth”), from ἀφορίζω (aphorízō, “I define, mark off or determine”), from ἀπό (apó, “off”) + ὁρίζω (horízō, “I divide, bound”), from ὅρος (hóros, “boundary”).
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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.