adage

[ad-ij]

noun

1. a traditional saying expressing a common experience or observation; proverb.

adage

/ ˈædɪdʒ /

noun

1. a traditional saying that is accepted by many as true or partially true; proverb

Other Word Forms

• adagial adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of adage¹

1540–50; < French < Latin adagium, equivalent to ad- ad- + ag- (stem of āio I say) + -ium -ium

Word History and Origins

Origin of adage¹

C16: via Old French from Latin adagium; related to āio I say

Example Sentences

Among Colored people there developed an adage: “You have to be twice as good in order to be thought of as half as good” as your White counterparts.

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Tragedy plus time equals comedy, according to the adage.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Another Otsuchi resident, Yukari Kurosawa, was told a simpler adage when she was young: “If a big earthquake hits and the ocean draws back, run!”

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“One of the oldest adages in investing is that if you’re reading about it in the paper, it’s too late,” he said.

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There’s the adage that you get what you pay for, and it seems to apply to this bull market.

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Related Words

• aphorism 
• axiom 
• dictum 
• maxim 
• motto 
• precept