maxim
[ mak-sim ]
/ ˈmæk sɪm /
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noun
an expression of a general truth or principle, especially an aphoristic or sententious one: the maxims of La Rochefoucauld.
a principle or rule of conduct.
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Question 1 of 7
Let’s start with some etymology: What are the origins of the typographical word “bracket”?
First appeared around 1750, and is related to the French word “braguette” for the name of codpiece armor.
First appeared in 1610, based on the French word “baguette” for the long loaf of bread.
First appeared in 1555, and is related to the French word “raquette” for a netted bat.
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Origin of maxim
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English maxime ultimately from Medieval Latin maxima (originally in the phrase maxima prōpositiō “axiom,” literally, “greatest proposition”), noun use of feminine of Latin maximus, superlative of magnus “great”; see much
synonym study for maxim
1. See proverb.
Words nearby maxim
Definition for maxim (2 of 2)
Maxim
[ mak-sim; for 4 also French mak-seem, Russian muh-ksyeem ]
/ ˈmæk sɪm; for 4 also French makˈsim, Russian mʌˈksyim /
noun
Hiram Percy, 1869–1936, U.S. inventor.
his father, Sir Hiram Stevens, 1840–1916, English inventor, born in the U.S.: inventor of the Maxim gun.
Hudson, 1853–1927, U.S. inventor and explosives expert (brother of Sir Hiram Stevens Maxim).
a male given name, form of Maximilian.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
Example sentences from the Web for maxim
British Dictionary definitions for maxim (1 of 2)
maxim
/ (ˈmæksɪm) /
noun
a brief expression of a general truth, principle, or rule of conduct
Word Origin for maxim
C15: via French from Medieval Latin, from maxima, in the phrase maxima prōpositio basic axiom (literally: greatest proposition); see maximum
British Dictionary definitions for maxim (2 of 2)
Maxim
/ (ˈmæksɪm) /
noun
Sir Hiram Stevens. 1840–1916, British inventor of the first automatic machine gun (1884), born in the US
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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