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 (Southern England):

  (file)

Noun

aphorism (plural aphorisms)

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

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:saying

   • 2024 March 20, 'Industry Insider', “Open-access services”, in RAIL, number 1005, page 68:

     As the promoters expected the overall size of the rail market to expand, it demonstrated the aphorism that 'a rising tide lifts all the boats' associated with the belief that improved services benefit all the participants.

Derived terms

• aphorismer
• aphorismic

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), ajatelma (fi)
• French: aphorisme (fr) m
• German: Aphorismus (de)
• Greek: αφορισμός (el) m (aforismós)

  Ancient: ἀφορισμός m (aphorismós)

• Hebrew: פתגם (he)
• Hindi: सूत्र (hi) (sūtra), विसूत्र (hi) (visūtra), सूक्ति (hi) (sūkti), सुभाषित (hi) (subhāṣit), नीतिवचन (nītivcan), नीतिवाक्य (nītivākya), सिद्धांतवाक्य (siddhāntvākya), उक्ति (hi) (ukti), मक़ूला (maqūlā), अनुभवोक्ति (anubhvokti) (rare), मसल (hi) (masal)
• 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
• Thai: คำพังเพย (kam-pang-pəəi)
• 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.
• William Dwight Whitney, Benjamin E[li] Smith, editors (1911), “aphorism”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., →OCLC.
• “aphorism”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.