proverb means A commonly used sentence expressing popular wisdom.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, proverb ranks #7,082 of 14,423 for Most Sublime Words, #7,152 of 14,445 for Most Beautiful Words, #7,156 of 14,410 for Most Ponderous Words, #7,181 of 14,451 for Most Whimsical Words.
proverb is pronounced /ˈpɹɒvɜːb/.
Why “proverb” is a great word
A short, traditional saying that expresses a truth or piece of wisdom based on common sense or experience, born from the Latin proverbium—a “word set forth” or spoken before, derived from Old French proverbe, from Latin proverbium, built from pro- ("forth, before") + verbum ("word"). Unlike an aphorism, a concise, philosophical distillation often attributed to a known mind, or an epigram, a witty, pointed construction designed for literary applause, the proverb is anonymous, weathered, and folkloric. It is the taste of salt in the bread of shared life, the cool stone step worn smooth by generations of feet, the iron nail hammered home by the repeated tapping of collective trial. A proverb requires no footnote; it has already survived every scholar who might have tried to save it.
Etymology
From Old French proverbe, from Latin proverbium.
noun
- A commonly used sentence expressing popular wisdom.“Near-synonyms: aphorism, maxim, adage, saw, saying, apothegm, byword, paroemia, sententia (Latin)”
- Any commonly used turn of phrase expressing a metaphor, simile, or descriptive epithet.“The definition of a proverb is no simple matter and has occupied scholars from Ancient Greece until the present day. Lord John Russell defined the proverb as ‘the wisdom of many and the wit of one’. The celebrated Spanish writer Cervantes said that a proverb is ‘a short sentence drawn from long experience’. Generally it is accepted that a proverb is a short, pithy traditional saying, which contain”
- A striking or paradoxical assertion; an obscure saying; an enigma; a parable.“His disciples said unto him, Lo, now speakest thou plainly, and speakest no proverb.”
- A familiar illustration; a subject of contemptuous reference.“Thou shalt become an astonishment, a proverb, and a by word, among all nations.”
- A drama exemplifying a proverb.
verb
- To write or utter proverbs.
- To name in, or as, a proverb.“Am I not sung and proverbed for a fool / In every street, do they not say, "How well / Are come upon him his deserts?"”
- To provide with a proverb.“I am proverbed with a grandsire phrase.”
Words closest in meaning
By meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.
- adage 92% match — An old saying which has obtained credit by long use. vs proverb →
- aphorism 87% match — A concise expression of a principle in an area of knowledge; an axiom, a precept. vs proverb →
- apothegm 87% match — A short, witty, instructive saying; an aphorism or maxim. vs proverb →
- byword 86% match — A proverb or proverbial expression, common saying; a frequently used word or phrase. vs proverb →
- dictum 86% match — An authoritative statement; a dogmatic saying; a maxim, an apothegm. vs proverb →
- platitude 85% match — An often-quoted saying that is supposed to be meaningful but has become unoriginal or hackneyed through overuse. vs proverb →
- epigram 83% match — An inscription in stone. vs proverb →
- locution 83% match — A phrase or expression peculiar to or characteristic of a given person or group of people. vs proverb →