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aphorism

Pronunciation: /ˈafərɪz(ə)m/

Definition of aphorism

noun

  • a pithy observation which contains a general truth: the old aphorism ‘the child is father to the man’ [mass noun]:the debate begins and ends at the level of aphorism, with commentators saying that something must be done
  • a concise statement of a scientific principle, typically by a classical author: the opening sentence of the first aphorism of Hippocrates

Derivatives

aphorist

noun

aphoristic

Pronunciation: /-ˈrɪstɪk/

adjective

aphoristically

Pronunciation: /-ˈrɪstɪk(ə)li/

adverb

aphorize

(also aphorise) verb

Origin:

early 16th century: from French aphorisme or late Latin aphorismus, from Greek aphorismos 'definition', from aphorizein 'define'

aphorism in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of aphorism in the US English dictionary

Nearby words

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