Hypertext Webster Gateway: "maxim"

From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)

Maxim \Max"im\, n. [F. maxime, L. maxima (sc. sententia), the
greatest sentence, proposition, or axiom, i. e., of the
greatest weight or authority, fem. fr. maximus greatest,
superl. of magnus great. See {Magnitude}, and cf. {Maximum}.]
1. An established principle or proposition; a condensed
proposition of important practical truth; an axiom of
practical wisdom; an adage; a proverb; an aphorism.

'T is their maxim, Love is love's reward. --Dryden.

2. (Mus.) The longest note formerly used, equal to two longs,
or four breves; a large.

Syn: Axiom; aphorism; apothegm; adage; proverb; saying. See
{Axiom}.

From WordNet (r) 1.7 (wn)

maxim
n 1: a saying that widely accepted on its own merits [syn: {axiom}]
2: English inventor (born in the United States) who invented
the Maxim gun that was used in World War I (1840-1916)
[syn: {Maxim}, {Sir Hiram Stevens Maxim}]


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