sage1
- a profoundly wise person; a person famed for wisdom.
- someone venerated for the possession of wisdom, judgment, and experience.
- wise, judicious, or prudent: sage advice.
Origin of sage1
Synonyms
See more synonyms on Thesaurus.comAntonyms
sage2
- any plant or shrub belonging to the genus Salvia, of the mint family.
- an herb, Salvia officinalis, whose grayish-green leaves are used in medicine and for seasoning in cookery.
- the leaves themselves.
- sagebrush.
Origin of sage2
Sage
- Russell,1816–1906, U.S. financier.
Le Sage
or Le·sage
- A·lain Re·né [a-lan ruh-ney] /aˈlɛ̃ rəˈneɪ/, 1668–1747, French novelist and dramatist.
Examples from the Web for sage
Contemporary Examples
It was one of the first organizations in the building, along with the Services and Advocacy for GLBT Elders (SAGE).
Sage and sausage patty came next, served between cumin scented Buttermilk biscuits and smothered in a black pepper country gravy.
Dinner at Nitehawk Cinema: ‘Christmas Vacation’ and a Beer in a Pear TreeRich Goldstein
December 12, 2014
In any case, it was Solzhenitsyn who explained this to me and not some sage I met in the prison yard.
Will a sage coach like John Calipari be able to outwit a relative newcomer in Kevin Ollie, he of a mere two seasons on the job?
From here on, he was a philosopher, a sage, and his interviews were stuffed full of dicta, parables and eternal paradoxes.
Historical Examples
"I am satisfied with the pursuit of wisdom, not with the fame of it," replied the sage.
PhilotheaLydia Maria Child
You may think that your sage counsels restrained her, but they did not; it was that she loved some one else.
MalboneThomas Wentworth Higginson
He was still chuckling when he spoke, sage from much experience of ocean travel.
Within the LawMarvin Dana
Why in this world are you talking about stones and sage and greasewood?
Her Father's DaughterGene Stratton-Porter
She seemed born, not only to captivate the giddy, but to turn the heads of the sage.
Alice, or The Mysteries, CompleteEdward Bulwer-Lytton
sage1
- a man revered for his profound wisdom
- profoundly wise or prudent
- obsolete solemn
Word Origin
sage2
- a perennial Mediterranean plant, Salvia officinalis, having grey-green leaves and purple, blue, or white flowers: family Lamiaceae (labiates)
- the leaves of this plant, used in cooking for flavouring
- short for sagebrush
Word Origin
Le Sage
Lesage
- Alain-René (alɛ̃rəne). 1668–1747, French novelist and dramatist, author of the picaresque novel Gil Blas (1715–35)
Word Origin and History for sage
adj.
"wise," c.1300 (late 12c. as a surname), from Old French sage "wise, knowledgeable, learned; shrewd, skillful" (11c.), from Gallo-Romance *sabius, from Vulgar Latin *sapius, from Latin sapere "have a taste, have good taste, be wise," from PIE root *sap- "to taste" (see sap (n.1)). Meaning "characterized by wisdom" is from 1530s. Related: Sageness.
n.1
kind of herb (Salvia officinalis), early 14c., from Old French sauge (13c.), from Latin salvia, from salvus "healthy" (see safe (adj.)). So called for its healing or preserving qualities (it was used to keep teeth clean and relieve sore gums, and boiled in water to make a drink to alleviate arthritis). In English folklore, sage, like parsley, is said to grow best where the wife is dominant. In late Old English as salvie, directly from Latin. Cf. German Salbei, also from Latin.
n.2
"man of profound wisdom," mid-14c., from sage (adj.). Originally applied to the Seven Sages -- Thales, Solon, Periander, Cleobulus, Chilon, Bias, and Pittacus.