adage

[ad-ij]

noun

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

Origin of adage

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

Related formsa·da·gi·al

[uh-dey-jee-uh l] /əˈdeɪ dʒi əl/, adjective

Can be confusedadage aphorism apothegm axiom maxim proverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for adages

aphorism, dictum, maxim, precept, motto, axiom, byword, saw, apothegm

Examples from the Web for adages

Historical Examples of adages

"Avoid a man who neither drinks nor smokes," was one of Don's adages.
The Orchard of Tears
Sax Rohmer
He speaks to the same purpose in the Adages, c. 189, as Jortin observes.
Curiosities of Literature, Vol. 1 (of 3)
Isaac D'Israeli
As an example of Palmer's exposition, we will give that based on two adages of like import.
Proverb Lore
F. Edward Hulme
The adages or proverbs of all nations are the outgrowths of their first attempts at civilization.
The College, the Market, and the Court
Caroline H. Dall
One seems to detect several grades or qualities of friendship in these adages.
Proverb Lore
F. Edward Hulme

British Dictionary definitions for adages

adage

noun

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

Word Origin for adage

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

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for adages

adage

1540s, Middle French adage, from Latin adagium "adage, proverb," apparently from adagio, from ad- "to" (see ad-) + *agi-, root of aio "I say," from PIE *ag- "to speak." But Tucker thinks the second element is rather ago "set in motion, drive, urge."