adage

US /ˈædɪdʒ/ UK /ˈædɪdʒ/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

noun
a short, traditional saying expressing a general truth

The old adage 'look before you leap' proved wise advice.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · a short, traditional saying... proverb maxim saying aphorism saw axiom dictum

Etymology

From Middle French adage, from Latin adagium ('proverb'), apparently from ad- ('to') + an element related to aio ('I say'), from the Proto-Indo-European root *h₁eǵ- ('to say').

adagium Latin *h₁eǵ- Proto-Indo-European

View etymology graph ->

Topics

General Vocabulary

External links

# adage

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /ˈædɪdʒ/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈædɪdʒ/

## Meanings
1. a short, traditional saying expressing a general truth

## Examples
- The old adage 'look before you leap' proved wise advice.

## Synonyms
- proverb
- maxim
- saying
- aphorism
- saw
- axiom
- dictum

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: adagium
- Root: *h₁eǵ-

## Etymology
From Middle French adage, from Latin adagium ('proverb'), apparently from ad- ('to') + an element related to aio ('I say'), from the Proto-Indo-European root *h₁eǵ- ('to say').

## AI Etymology
Adage is a noun meaning "a short, traditional saying expressing a general truth". Historically, it is from Middle French adage, from Latin adagium ('proverb'), apparently from ad- ('to') + an element related to aio ('I say'), from the Proto-Indo-European root *h₁eǵ- ('to say'). The visible construction is part of the etymology: adage is not just an unanalyzed simple word. The historical chain links Latin adagium with Proto-Indo-European *h₁eǵ-.

## Topics
- General Vocabulary

markdown