Hypertext Webster Gateway: "aphorism"
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
Aphorism \Aph"o*rism\, n. [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) 1.7 (wn)
aphorism
n : a short pithy instructive saying [syn: {apothegm}, {apophthegm}]
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