proverbial C2 Topic:Communication US /prəˈvɝːbiːəl/ UK /pɹəˈvɜɹb.iː.əl/ See IPA manual Freq #22408 Meanings 1 adj Used before a word from a well-known saying or metaphor to show you are not speaking literally. After months of saving, they finally found the proverbial pot of gold. 2 adj Widely known and often talked about; famous. The proverbial lateness of the students annoyed the teachers. 3 adj Of or expressed as a proverb. The busyness of the beaver is proverbial. Thesaurus Word family Forms proverbially Derived forms proverbialiseproverbialismproverbialistproverbialityproverbializeproverbiallyproverbialnessunproverbial Etymology AI details From Latin prōverbiālis, equivalent to proverb + -ial Topics Communication Word Formation & Derivatives External links Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary Google Images # proverbial **Type:** Word **Level:** C2 **Part of speech:** adj **IPA (US):** /prəˈvɝːbiːəl/ **IPA (UK):** /pɹəˈvɜɹb.iː.əl/ **Frequency rank:** 22408 ## Meanings 1. Used before a word from a well-known saying or metaphor to show you are not speaking literally. 2. Widely known and often talked about; famous. 3. Of or expressed as a proverb. ## Examples - After months of saving, they finally found the proverbial pot of gold. - The proverbial lateness of the students annoyed the teachers. - The busyness of the beaver is proverbial. ## Derived Forms - proverbialise - proverbialism - proverbialist - proverbiality - proverbialize - proverbially - proverbialness - unproverbial ## Etymology From Latin prōverbiālis, equivalent to proverb + -ial ## AI Etymology Proverbial is from Latin prōverbiālis, equivalent to proverb + -ial. The analysis is mainly morphological: the modern adjectival form is built from the named base and affix. Current senses include used before a word from a well-known saying or metaphor to show you are not speaking literally, widely known and often talked about; famous, and of or expressed as a proverb. The wider family includes derived forms such as proverbialise, proverbialism, proverbialist, proverbiality, and proverbialize. ## Topics - Communication - Word Formation & Derivatives markdown