Epigram


[ep-i-gram] /ˈɛp ɪˌgræm/

noun
1.
any witty, ingenious, or pointed saying tersely expressed.
2.
expression:
Oscar Wilde had a genius for epigram.
3.
a short, often satirical poem dealing concisely with a single subject and usually ending with a witty or ingenious turn of thought.
/ˈɛpɪˌɡræm/
noun
1.
a witty, often paradoxical remark, concisely expressed
2.
a short, pungent, and often satirical poem, esp one having a witty and ingenious ending
n.

mid-15c., from Middle French épigramme, from Latin epigramma “an inscription,” from Greek epigramma “an inscription, epitaph, epigram,” from epigraphein “to write on, inscribe” (see epigraph). Related: Epigrammatist.

Any pithy, witty saying or short poem. An aphorism can serve as an epigram, if it is brief.

Note: Several authors are noted for their epigrams, including Mark Twain and Oscar Wilde. One of Wilde’s epigrams is “I can resist everything except temptation.”

Note: Two other words are similar: an epigraph is usually an inscription, as on a statue; an epitaph can be such an inscription or it can be a brief literary note commemorating a dead person.

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  • Epigrammatic

    [ep-i-gruh-mat-ik] /ˌɛp ɪ grəˈmæt ɪk/ adjective 1. of or like an ; terse and ingenious in expression. 2. containing or favoring the use of . adj. 1704, shortened from epigrammatical (c.1600); see epigram.

  • Epigrammatical

    [ep-i-gruh-mat-ik] /ˌɛp ɪ grəˈmæt ɪk/ adjective 1. of or like an ; terse and ingenious in expression. 2. containing or favoring the use of . adj. 1704, shortened from epigrammatical (c.1600); see epigram.

  • Epigrammatist

    [ep-i-gram-uh-tahyz] /ˌɛp ɪˈgræm əˌtaɪz/ verb (used with object), epigrammatized, epigrammatizing. 1. to express in epigrams. 2. to make epigrams about (a person or thing). verb (used without object), epigrammatized, epigrammatizing. 3. to make epigrams. /ˌɛpɪˈɡræməˌtaɪz/ verb 1. to make an epigram or epigrams (about)

  • Epigrammatize

    [ep-i-gram-uh-tahyz] /ˌɛp ɪˈgræm əˌtaɪz/ verb (used with object), epigrammatized, epigrammatizing. 1. to express in epigrams. 2. to make epigrams about (a person or thing). verb (used without object), epigrammatized, epigrammatizing. 3. to make epigrams. /ˌɛpɪˈɡræməˌtaɪz/ verb 1. to make an epigram or epigrams (about)

  • Epigraph

    [ep-i-graf, -grahf] /ˈɛp ɪˌgræf, -ˌgrɑf/ noun 1. an inscription, especially on a building, statue, or the like. 2. an apposite quotation at the beginning of a book, chapter, etc. /ˈɛpɪˌɡrɑːf; -ˌɡræf/ noun 1. a quotation at the beginning of a book, chapter, etc, suggesting its theme 2. an inscription on a monument or building n. […]


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