ETYM French aphorisme, from Greek, definition, a short, pithy sentence; apo from + horizein to bind. Related to Horizon.
Brief wise saying; maxim; definition.<br /> Short, sharp, witty saying, usually making a general observation. “Experience is the name everyone gives to their mistakes” is one of many aphorisms by Irish playwright Oscar Wilde. The term derives from the Aphorisms ascribed to Greek writer Hippocrates.
A short pithy instructive saying; SYN. apothegm, apophthegm.