apothegm
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
- apothegmatic adjective
- apothegmatical adjective
- apothegmatically adverb
Etymology
Origin of apothegm
First recorded in 1570–80; earlier apothegma, from Greek apóphthegma, equivalent to apophtheg- (variant stem of apophthéngesthai “to speak out”; apo- apo- + phthéngesthai “to speak”) + -ma noun suffix
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.
On Saturday, Broner apologized for his language, invoking an apothegm of his own invention.
From The New Yorker • Jan. 15, 2015
He was an apothegm slinger; he was unstoppable.
From New York Times • Jul. 22, 2012
The Philip Green approach, "done and dusted, back to the beach", is not their style, any more than his apothegm: "I want to make a profit, not be a prophet."
From The Guardian • Aug. 21, 2010
It does not help to reverse Beecher's apothegm and define a good newspaper as one that prints a miscellaneous, various amount of knowledge.
From Time Magazine Archive
The trouble with Riderhood's apothegm is that it supplies an endless excuse for not doing it.
From From the Easy Chair, series 2 by Curtis, George William
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.
