An adage (; Latin: adagium) is a memorable and usually
philosophical aphorism that communicates an important truth derived from experience,
custom, or both, and that many people consider true and credible because of its longeval tradition, i.e. being handed down generation to generation, or
memetic replication.
Variations and nature
An adage may warn against a failure to plan, be interesting observations,
ethical rules, or
skeptical comments on life in general, such as "do not count your chickens before they hatch", "do not burn your bridges", and .
Some adages are products of
folk wisdom that attempt to summarize a basic truth; these are generally known as "
proverbs" or "bywords". An adage that describes a general
moral
A moral (from Latin ''morālis'') is a message that is conveyed or a lesson to be learned from a story or event. The moral may be left to the hearer, reader, or viewer to determine for themselves, or may be explicitly encapsulated in a maxim. A ...
rule is a "
maxim". A pithy expression that has not necessarily gained credibility by tradition, but is distinguished by especial depth or excellent style is denominated an "
aphorism", while one distinguished by
wit
Wit is a form of intelligent humour, the ability to say or write things that are clever and usually funny. Someone witty is a person who is skilled at making clever and funny remarks. Forms of wit include the quip, repartee, and wisecrack.
Form ...
or
irony
Irony (), in its broadest sense, is the juxtaposition of what on the surface appears to be the case and what is actually the case or to be expected; it is an important rhetorical device and literary technique.
Irony can be categorized into ...
is often denominated an "
epigram
An epigram is a brief, interesting, memorable, and sometimes surprising or satirical statement. The word is derived from the Greek "inscription" from "to write on, to inscribe", and the literary device has been employed for over two mille ...
".
Through overuse, an adage may become denominated a "
cliché
A cliché ( or ) is an element of an artistic work, saying, or idea that has become overused to the point of losing its original meaning or effect, even to the point of being weird or irritating, especially when at some earlier time it was consi ...
", "
truism", or "old saw". Adages originating in modernity are often given proper names and denominated "laws", in imitation of the nomenclature of
physical laws, or "principles". Some adages, such as
Murphy's Law, are first formulated informally and given proper names later, while others, such as the
Peter Principle, are given proper names when formulated; it might be argued that the latter do not represent ''true'' adages, but the two are often difficult to distinguish.
Adages that were collected and used by ancient writers inspired
Dutch humanist Desiderius Erasmus Roterodamus to publish his own collection. He revised his moderate volume of 800 adages many times until the final edition of ''
Adagia'' published in 1536 included over 4,000. There have been many such collections since, usually in vernacular languages.
Historical usages and examples
Contemporary applications
Adages formulated in popular works of
fiction
Fiction is any creative work, chiefly any narrative work, portraying individuals, events, or places that are imaginary, or in ways that are imaginary. Fictional portrayals are thus inconsistent with history, fact, or plausibility. In a tra ...
often find their way into
popular culture, especially when a
subculture
A subculture is a group of people within a culture that differentiates itself from the parent culture to which it belongs, often maintaining some of its founding principles. Subcultures develop their own norms and values regarding cultural, poli ...
devoted to the work or its
genre exists, as in the case of novels of
science fiction. Many
professions and subcultures create their own adages, which are cognizable as a kind of
jargon; such adages may find their way into popular use, sometimes being altered in the process.
Online communities, such as those that develop in
Internet forums or
Usenet newsgroups, often generate their own adages.
See also
*
List of adages named after people
This list of eponymous laws provides links to articles on laws, principles, adages, and other succinct observations or predictions named after a person. In some cases the person named has coined the law – such as Parkinson's law. In others, ...
*
Aphorism
*
Apophthegmata – several collections of aphorisms (adages)
*
Brocard
*
Epigram
An epigram is a brief, interesting, memorable, and sometimes surprising or satirical statement. The word is derived from the Greek "inscription" from "to write on, to inscribe", and the literary device has been employed for over two mille ...
*
Epitaph
*
Legal maxim
*
Maxim
*
Nursery rhyme
A nursery rhyme is a traditional poem or song for children in Britain and many other countries, but usage of the term dates only from the late 18th/early 19th century. The term Mother Goose rhymes is interchangeable with nursery rhymes.
From t ...
*
Phraseme
A phraseme, also called a set phrase, idiomatic phrase, multi-word expression (in computational linguistics), or idiom, is a multi-word or multi-morphemic utterance whose components include at least one that is selectionally constrained or restric ...
*
Principle
A principle is a proposition or value that is a guide for behavior or evaluation. In law, it is a Legal rule, rule that has to be or usually is to be followed. It can be desirably followed, or it can be an inevitable consequence of something, suc ...
*
Proverb
*
Rhetoric
Rhetoric () is the art of persuasion, which along with grammar and logic (or dialectic), is one of the three ancient arts of discourse. Rhetoric aims to study the techniques writers or speakers utilize to inform, persuade, or motivate parti ...
*
Rule of thumb
*
Saying
A saying is any concisely written or spoken expression that is especially memorable because of its meaning or style. Sayings are categorized as follows:
* Aphorism: a general, observational truth; "a pithy expression of wisdom or truth".
** Ada ...
References
External links
*
{{Authority control
Paremiology