gnomic
English
Etymology
From French gnomique, ultimately from Ancient Greek γνωμικός (gnōmikós), from γνώμη (gnṓmē, “thought, judgement”), akin to γιγνώσκω (gignṓskō, “know”).
Adjective
gnomic (comparative more gnomic, superlative most gnomic)
- Of, or relating to gnomes (sententious sayings).
- G. R. Lewes
- a city long famous as the seat of elegiac and gnomic poetry
- 2013, Adam Roberts, The Riddles of The Hobbit, Palgrave Macmillan (→ISBN), page 17:
- Old English culture was threaded through with riddles, cryptograms, gnomic verses, charms and riddling modes of speech such as litotes, just as Modern English culture is (if you will forgive me) riddled with jokes and catch-phrases, crosswords and quizzes, irony and sarcasm.
- G. R. Lewes
- (of a saying or aphorism) Mysterious and often incomprehensible yet seemingly wise.
- He always makes gnomic utterances.
- (grammar) Expressing general truths or aphorisms.
- gnomic aspect
Related terms
Translations
of or relating to gnomes
mysterious and incomprehensible yet seemingly wise
- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Translations to be checked
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Further reading
- Gnomic aspect on Wikipedia.Wikipedia