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From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Aphorism \Aph"o*rism\, noun [F. aphorisme, fr. Gr. ? definition, a short, pithy sentence, fr. ? to mark off by boundaries, to define; ? from + ? to separate, part. See {Horizon}.] A comprehensive maxim or principle expressed in a few words; a sharply defined sentence relating to abstract truth rather than to practical matters.
The first aphorism of Hippocrates is, ''Life is short, and the art is long.'' --Fleming.
Syn: Axiom; maxim; adage; proverb; apothegm; saying; saw; truism; dictum. See {Axiom}.
From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:
aphorism
noun: a short pithy instructive saying [syn: {apothegm}, {apophthegm}]
From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:
77 Moby Thesaurus words for "aphorism": abridgment, adage, ana, analects, apothegm, axiom, bon mot, boutade, bright idea, bright thought, brilliant idea, brocard, byword, catchword, collected sayings, conceit, crack, current saying, dictate, dictum, distich, epigram, expression, facetiae, flash of wit, flight of wit, gibe, gnome, golden saying, happy thought, maxim, moral, mot, motto, nasty crack, oracle, persiflage, phrase, pithy saying, play of wit, pleasantry, precept, prescript, proverb, proverbial saying, proverbs, quip, quips and cranks, repartee, retort, riposte, rule, sally, saw, saying, scintillation, sentence, sententious expression, sloka, smart crack, smart saying, snappy comeback, stock saying, stroke of wit, sutra, teaching, text, truism, turn of thought, verse, wisdom, wisdom literature, wise saying, wisecrack, witticism, word, words of wisdom
From THE DEVIL'S DICTIONARY ((C)1911 Released April 15 1993) [devils]:
APHORISM, noun Predigested wisdom.
The flabby wine-skin of his brain Yields to some pathologic strain, And voids from its unstored abysm The driblet of an aphorism. "The Mad Philosopher," 1697
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