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)

1. 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.

2. (of a saying or aphorism) Mysterious and often incomprehensible yet seemingly wise.

   He always makes gnomic utterances.

3. (grammar) Expressing general truths or aphorisms.

   gnomic aspect

Related terms

• gnome

Translations

of or relating to gnomes

• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}

mysterious and incomprehensible yet seemingly wise

• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}

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

• Spanish: enigmático (es)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}

Further reading

• Gnomic aspect on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

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