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illustration Apothegm

Apothegm

[AP-ə-them]

Part of speech: noun

Origin: Greek, 16th century

1.

A short, witty, instructive saying

2.

A terse or brusque instruction

Examples of Apothegm in a sentence

"My grandmother loved to give advice with an apothegm, such as, 'An apple a day keeps the doctor away.'"

"An apothegm may be clever and easy to remember, but it doesn’t always address a full problem."

About Apothegm

An apothegm is a short and sweet phrase that’s supposed to give some sort of life lesson. The life lesson here is to remember that the “G” is silent when you’re pronouncing it.

Did you Know?

This tricky word comes from the Greek “apóphthegma,” meaning to speak out. Watch out for well-meaning advice-givers looking to speak out and give you their opinion.

illustration Apothegm

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