adage
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of adage
1540–50; < French < Latin adagium, equivalent to ad- ad- + ag- (stem of āio I say) + -ium -ium
Explanation
An adage is a saying. Moms and dads love adages such as "early to bed, early to rise" and "an apple a day keeps the doctor away." The noun adage comes from the Latin root aio, meaning "I say." Like a proverb, an adage can be true or not so much. It's a folksy saying that's been passed around for so long that it doesn't even matter if it's true anymore. Adages can be wise and wisecracking, such as this quote from Alice Roosevelt Longworth: "I've always believed in the adage that the secret of eternal youth is arrested development." There's a Book of Proverbs in the Bible, but adages can show up anywhere, even cross-stitched on a pillow.
Vocabulary lists containing adage
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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The Tragedy of Macbeth
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TEKS ELAR Academic Vocabulary List (5th-7th grades)
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
That stake is far bigger than those held by hedge funds Coatue Management, Adage Capital Partners and DE Shaw which each own stakes worth more than $100 million.
From Reuters • Nov. 16, 2023
Amazon promised its advertisers 12.5 million viewers, which was first noted by Adage, but that includes fans in local markets who will be able to watch games on broadcast TV.
From Washington Post • Sep. 15, 2022
Adage Capital added to its position, buying 1.6 million shares to own 4.5 million shares at the end of the quarter, SEC filings showed.
From Reuters • Feb. 16, 2016
But Adage also may be leaving money on the table.
From Time • Sep. 10, 2015
They both looked across the ridge in the direction of Adage.
From A Voyage to Arcturus by Lindsay, David
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
