Adjacent Words

Adage definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

AD'AGE, n. [L. adagium, or adagio]
A proverb; an old saying, which has obtained credit by long use; a wise observation handed down from antiquity.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: a condensed but memorable saying embodying some important fact of experience that is taken as true by many people [syn: proverb, adage, saw, byword]

Merriam Webster's

noun Etymology: Middle French, from Latin adagium, from ad- + -agium (akin to aio I say); akin to Greek ? he said Date: 1513 a saying often in metaphorical form that embodies a common observation

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. a traditional maxim, a proverb. Etymology: F f. L adagium (as AD-, root of aio say)

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Adage Ad"age, n. [F. adage, fr. L. adagium; ad + the root of L. aio I say.] An old saying, which has obtained credit by long use; a proverb. Letting ``I dare not'' wait upon ``I would,'' Like the poor cat i' the adage. --Shak. Syn: Axiom; maxim; aphorism; proverb; saying; saw; apothegm. See Axiom.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(adages) An adage is something which people often say and which expresses a general truth about some aspect of life. (OLD-FASHIONED) ...the old adage, 'Every baby brings its own love'. = maxim, saying N-COUNT

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

n. Proverb, saying, saw, dictum, aphorism, apothegm, maxim, by-word, sententious precept.

Moby Thesaurus

ana, analects, aphorism, apothegm, axiom, byword, catchword, collected sayings, current saying, dictate, dictum, distich, epigram, expression, gnome, golden saying, maxim, moral, mot, motto, oracle, phrase, pithy saying, precept, prescript, proverb, proverbial saying, proverbs, saw, saying, sentence, sententious expression, sloka, stock saying, sutra, teaching, text, verse, wisdom, wisdom literature, wise saying, witticism, word, words of wisdom