proverb
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proverb
- /ˈpɹɒvɜːb/ UK
- /ˈpɹɑˌvɝb/ US
Where it comes from
From Old French proverbe, from Latin proverbium.
noun proverbs
-
A commonly used sentence expressing popular wisdom.
Near-synonyms: aphorism, maxim, adage, saw, saying, apothegm, byword, paroemia, sententia (Latin)
Similar: aphorism, maxim, adage, saw, saying, apothegm, byword, paroemia, la:sententia
- 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 expe
- 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 proverbs · proverbing · proverbed
- 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.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: byword, adage, saw, saying, expression, maxim, example, phrase, quotation, slogan, dictum, ideal, citation, motto, aphorism, platitude
Translations
Every language
noun phrase expressing a basic truth
| Español | proverbio, refrán, paremia, retraher |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 속담 sokdam, 격언 gyeogeon |
| 日本語 | 諺 kotowaza, 格言 kakugen |
| 中文 | 箴言 zhēnyán, 諺語 /谚语 yànyǔ, 俗語 /俗语 súyǔ |
| हिन्दी | कहावत kahāvat, मसल masal, लोकोक्ति lokokti, ज़र्ब-उल-मसल zarb-ul-masal |
| Kiswahili | methali |
| Português | provérbio |
| Français | proverbe |
| Deutsch | Sprichwort, Denkspruch, Redensart, Proverb |
| Italiano | proverbio |
| Ελληνικά | παροιμία paroimía |
| Română | proverb, proverbe |
| Русский | посло́вица poslóvica, погово́рка pogovórka, при́сказка prískazka |
| Tiếng Việt | tục ngữ |
| العربية | مَثَل maṯal, حِكْمَة ḥikma, مَقَال maqāl, ضَرْب مَثَل ḍarb maṯal, ضَرْبُ الْمَثَل ḍarbu l-maṯal |
| עברית | פִּתְגָּם pitgám |
Talk about this word "proverb." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/proverb. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. proverb. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/proverb "proverb." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/proverb.Cite this
@misc{proverb_2026,
title = {proverb},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/proverb},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
