aphorism

English

Etymology

From Middle French aphorisme, from Late Latin aphorismus, from Ancient Greek ἀφορισμός (aphorismós, “pithy phrase containing a general truth”), from ἀφορίζω (aphorízō, “I define, mark off or determine”), from ἀπό (apó, “off”) + ὁρίζω (horízō, “I divide, bound”), from ὅρος (hóros, “boundary”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈæf.ə.ɹɪ.zəm/, [ˈæf.ə.ɹɪ.zm̩]

• Audio (UK)

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Noun

aphorism (plural aphorisms)

1. A concise, terse, laconic, or memorable expression of a general truth or principle.

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:saying

Related terms

• aphorist
• aphoristic

 

Translations

short phrase conveying some principle or concept of thought

• Amharic: ጥቅሶች (ṭəḳsoč)
• Bulgarian: афоризъм (bg) m (aforizǎm)
• Catalan: aforisme (ca) m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 格言 (zh) (géyán)

• Czech: aforismus (cs) m, aforizmus (cs) m
• Danish: aforisme (da) c
• Dutch: aforisme (nl) n
• Finnish: aforismi (fi), mietelause (fi)
• French: aphorisme (fr) m
• German: Aphorismus (de)
• Greek: αφορισμός (el) m (aforismós)

  Ancient: ἀφορισμός m (aphorismós)

• Hebrew: פתגם‎ (he)
• Hungarian: aforizma (hu)
• Icelandic: kjarnyrði n, spakmæli (is) n pl, orðskviður f pl
• Irish: nathán m, seanrá m
• Italian: aforisma (it)
• Japanese: 格言 (ja) (かくげん, kakugen)
• Latvian: aforisms (lv) m
• Macedonian: афори́зам m (aforízam)
• Maori: whakataukī (mi)
• Norwegian: aforisme (no) m
• Polish: aforyzm (pl) m, maksyma (pl) f, sentencja (pl) f
• Portuguese: aforismo (pt) m
• Romanian: aforism (ro) n
• Russian: афори́зм (ru) m (aforízm)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: афоризам m

  Roman: aforizam (sh) m

• Slovene: aforizem (sl) m
• Spanish: aforismo (es) m
• Swedish: aforism (sv) c
• Turkish: aforizm (tr), özdeyiş (tr)
• Ukrainian: афоризм (uk) m (aforyzm)
• Welsh: doethair m
• Yiddish: אַפֿאָריזם‎ m (aforizm)

See also

• Category:English aphorisms
• adage
• apothegm / apophthegm
• maxim
• pearl of wisdom
• tip

 

Verb

aphorism (third-person singular simple present aphorisms, present participle aphorisming, simple past and past participle aphorismed)

1. To speak or write aphorisms.
   • 1971, Arthur Schnitzler, My Youth in Vienna, page 95:

     But after each of us had inscribed his share (once I robbed my Aegidius for the purpose), our literary union was over; each of us tore his contribution out of the book and “aphorismed” on his own from then on.

   • 1978, Vikram Kapur, The Traumatic Bite, page 32:

     He was thoughtful: “Preferences define superiority,” he aphorismed. “As long as preferences are not made godly edicts."

   • 2003, Arthur Herzog, Glad to Be Here, page 146:

     “I don't know what more to do,” she confessed. “I've aphorismed my heart out and relationships have not improved one whit, it seems."

Further reading

• “aphorism”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• “aphorism”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
• aphorism at OneLook Dictionary Search