definitions

maxim

[ mak-sim ]
/ ˈmæk sɪm /
||
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR maxim ON THESAURUS.COM

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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RELATED WORDS

aphorism, dictum, adage, theorem, proverb, motto, axiom, byword, commonplace, belief, truism, epithet, prescript, canon, rule, tenet, precept, moral, platitude, device

Nearby words

maxilliped, maxillodental, maxillofacial, maxillomandibular, maxillotomy, maxim, maxim gun, maxima, maximal, maximal dose, maximal ideal

Origin of maxim

1400–50; late Middle English maxime ≪ Medieval Latin maxima (orig. in phrase maxima prōpositiō axiom, literally, greatest proposition), noun use of feminine of Latin maximus, superlative of magnus great; see much
Can be confusedadage aphorism apothegm axiom maxim proverb

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 fatherSir 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. 2019

Examples 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 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012