apophthegm

[ap-uh-them]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR apophthegm ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

apothegm.

Related formsap·o·phtheg·mat·ic

[ap-uh-theg-mat-ik] /ˌæp ə θɛgˈmæt ɪk/, ap·o·phtheg·mat·i·cal, adjective

apothegm

or ap·o·phthegm

[ap-uh-them]

noun

a short, pithy, instructive saying; a terse remark or aphorism.

Origin of apothegm

1545–55; earlier apothegma < Greek apóphthegma, equivalent to apophtheg- (variant stem of apophthéngesthai to speak out; apo- apo- + phthéngesthai to speak) + -ma noun suffix

Related formsap·o·theg·mat·ic

[ap-uh-theg-mat-ik] /ˌæp ə θɛgˈmæt ɪk/, ap·o·theg·mat·i·cal, adjectiveap·o·theg·mat·i·cal·ly, adverb

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 apophthegm

aphorism, dictum, adage, theorem, proverb, motto, axiom, meaning, significance, maxim, epigram, witticism, saw, statement, saying, byword, commonplace, belief, truism, epithet

Examples from the Web for apophthegm

Historical Examples of apophthegm

As some say, Solon was the author of the apophthegm, "Nothing in excess."
Familiar Quotations
John Bartlett
This apophthegm is one of the landmarks of religious history.
The Expositor's Bible: The Epistle to the Galatians
G. G. Findlay
He has inspired me with an apophthegm, however—let us give Bonvoisin his due!
To Tell You the Truth
Leonard Merrick
Madame de Staël repeats this apophthegm in her work on Germany.
Rejected Addresses
James Smith
He re-read the apophthegm with a slower and more solemn utterance.
Crome Yellow
Aldous Huxley

British Dictionary definitions for apophthegm

apophthegm

apothegm

noun

a short cryptic remark containing some general or generally accepted truth; maxim

Derived Formsapophthegmatic or apothegmatic (ˌæpəθɛɡˈmætɪk), adjective

Word Origin for apophthegm

C16: from Greek apophthegma, from apophthengesthai to speak one's opinion frankly, from phthengesthai to speak

apothegm

noun

a variant spelling of apophthegm

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 apophthegm

see apothegm.

apothegm

"pithy saying," 1550s, from Greek apophthegma "terse, pointed saying," literally "something clearly spoken," from apophthengesthai "to speak one's opinion plainly," from apo- "from" (see apo-) + phthengesthai "to utter." See aphorism for nuances of usage. Spelling apophthegm, restored by Johnson, is preferred in England, according to OED.