WORD OF THE DAY
Use the noun aphorism when you have something compact and astute to say, such as "People who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones."
An aphorism is a statement or saying that is both efficiently presented and either witty or wise. While there are loads of trite and silly statements, a good aphorism is supposed to stand the test of time and remain true and elegant — a very difficult task! Friedrich Schlegel even wrote an aphorism about aphorisms: "An aphorism ought to be entirely isolated from the surrounding world like a little work of art and complete in itself like a hedgehog."
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Vocabulary lists containing aphorism
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