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apothegm

noun/ˈapəθɛm/

C2CEFR level
90/100Rarity: very rare
FormalRegister

A short, pointed, and instructive saying.

The general was fond of the apothegm that no plan survives contact with the enemy.

Similar: aphorism, maxim, saw

Origin: From Greek apophthegma 'terse pointed saying', from apophthengesthai 'to speak plainly'.

Topic: maxim in General English

Rarity runs from 0 (a word everyone knows) to 100 (almost never seen outside specialist or literary writing). Level is the word's real difficulty on the CEFR scale, from A1 to C2.

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More general words: maxim