epigram

English

WOTD – 28 November 2007

Alternative forms

• epigramme

Etymology

From Middle French epigramme, from Latin epigramma, from Ancient Greek ἐπίγραμμα (epígramma, “inscription”).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation, US) IPA^(key): /ˈɛpɪɡɹæm/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

Noun

epigram (plural epigrams)

1. (obsolete) An inscription in stone.
2. A brief but witty saying.
3. A short, witty or pithy poem.
   • 1916, Ezra Pound, Lustra, The Three Poets:

     The second has written a sonnet
     upon the mutability of woman,
     And the third writes an epigram to Candidia.

Derived terms

• epigrammist

Related terms

• epigrammatic
• epigrammatist
• epigraph

Translations

inscription in stone

• French: épigramme (fr) m
• German: Epigramm (de) n
• Greek: επίγραμμα (el) n (epígramma)

  Ancient Greek: ἐπίγραμμα n (epígramma)

• Hungarian: epigramma (hu)
• Latin: epigramma (la)
• Polish: epigram (pl) m, epigramat (pl) m
• Russian: эпигра́мма (ru) f (epigrámma)
• Spanish: epigrama (es) m

brief but witty saying

• Bulgarian: епиграма f (epigrama)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 警句 (zh) (jǐngjù)

• Finnish: epigrammi (fi)
• French: épigramme (fr) m
• German: Epigramm (de) n
• Greek: επίγραμμα (el) n (epígramma)

  Ancient Greek: ἐπίγραμμα n (epígramma)

• Hungarian: epigramma (hu)
• Japanese: 警句 (ja) (けいく, keiku)
• Korean: 경구 (ko) (gyeonggu)
• Latin: epigramma (la)
• Polish: epigramat (pl) m
• Russian: афори́зм (ru) m (aforízm), сенте́нция (ru) f (sentɛ́ncija)
• Spanish: epigrama (es) m
• Tagalog: tugmatiyaw
• Thai: คำคม (th) (kam-kom)
• Turkish: nükte (tr), espri (tr)

short, witty or pithy poem

• Albanian: epigram (sq) m
• Bulgarian: епиграма f (epigrama)
• Czech: epigram (cs) m
• Dutch: hekelrijm, epigram (nl) n
• Esperanto: epigramo
• Finnish: epigrammi (fi)
• French: épigramme (fr) m
• German: Epigramm (de) n, Sinngedicht (de) n
• Greek: επίγραμμα (el) n (epígramma)

  Ancient Greek: ἐπίγραμμα n (epígramma)

• Hungarian: epigramma (hu)
• Irish: burdún m
• Latin: epigramma (la)
• Polish: epigramat (pl) m, fraszka (pl) f
• Russian: эпигра́мма (ru) f (epigrámma)
• Spanish: epigrama (es) m
• Swedish: epigram (sv) n

Further reading

• epigram on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• Epigram in the Encyclopædia Britannica (11th edition, 1911)

Anagrams

• primage

Czech

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈɛpɪɡram]
• Hyphenation: epi‧gram

Noun

epigram m inan (diminutive epigrámek)

1. epigram

Declension

Declension of epigram (hard masculine inanimate)

	singular	plural
nominative	epigram	epigramy
genitive	epigramu	epigramů
dative	epigramu	epigramům
accusative	epigram	epigramy
vocative	epigrame	epigramy
locative	epigramu	epigramech
instrumental	epigramem	epigramy

Further reading

• “epigram”, in Příruční slovník jazyka českého (in Czech), 1935–1957
• “epigram”, in Slovník spisovného jazyka českého (in Czech), 1960–1971, 1989
• “epigram”, in Internetová jazyková příručka (in Czech), 2008–2026

Dutch

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle French épigramme or Latin epigramma, from Ancient Greek ἐπίγραμμα (epígramma).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˌeː.piˈɣrɑm/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: epi‧gram
• Rhymes: -ɑm

Noun

epigram n (plural epigrammen, diminutive epigrammetje n)

1. epigram (short, pithy poem)

   Synonym: puntdicht

Derived terms

• epigrammatisch
• epigrammatist

Polish

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin epigramma.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɛˈpi.ɡram/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -iɡram
• Syllabification: e‧pi‧gram

Noun

epigram m inan

1. (poetry) epigram (short, witty or pithy poem)

   Synonym: epigramat

2. (historical) epigram (inscription in stone)

   Synonym: epigramat

Declension

Declension of epigram

	singular	plural
nominative	epigram	epigramy
genitive	epigramu	epigramów
dative	epigramowi	epigramom
accusative	epigram	epigramy
instrumental	epigramem	epigramami
locative	epigramie	epigramach
vocative	epigramie	epigramy

Further reading

• “epigram”, in Wielki słownik języka polskiego‎^[1] (in Polish), Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• “epigram”, in Polish dictionaries at PWN‎^[2] (in Polish)

Serbo-Croatian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /epǐɡram/
• Hyphenation: e‧pi‧gram

Noun

epìgram m inan (Cyrillic spelling епѝграм)

1. epigram

Declension

Declension of epigram

	singular	plural
nominative	epigram	epigrami
genitive	epigrama	epigrama
dative	epigramu	epigramima
accusative	epigram	epigrame
vocative	epigrame	epigrami
locative	epigramu	epigramima
instrumental	epigramom	epigramima

Further reading

• “epigram”, in Hrvatski jezični portal [Croatian language portal] (in Serbo-Croatian), 2006–2026