Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.
Definition: Epigram |
EpigramNoun1. A witty saying. Source: WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved. |
Date "epigram" was first used: sometime in the early 15th century. (references) |
| Domain | Definition |
Satire | EPIGRAM, n. A short, sharp saying in prose or verse, frequently characterize by acidity or acerbity and sometimes by wisdom. Following are some of the more notable epigrams of the learned and ingenious Dr. Jamrach Holobom: We know better the needs of ourselves than of others. To serve oneself is economy of administration. In each human heart are a tiger, a pig, an ass and a nightingale. Diversity of character is due to their unequal activity. There are three sexes; males, females and girls. Beauty in women and distinction in men are alike in this: they seem to be the unthinking a kind of credibility. Women in love are less ashamed than men. They have less to be ashamed of. While your friend holds you affectionately by both your hands you are safe, for you can watch both his. Source: Devil's Dictionary. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
Synonym: EpigramSynonym: quip (n). (additional references) |
Crosswords: Epigram |
| English words defined with "epigram": Epigrammatical, Epigrammatically ♦ Tetrastich. (references) |
| Specialty definitions using "epigram": Boz ♦ Conscious Water ♦ Dr. Fell, Dum Vivimus, Vivamus ♦ Hanlon's Razor, Heart, Hob Nob, Home Phoneline Networking Alliance, Honest Lawyer ♦ King ♦ Platitude. (references) |
| Non-English Usage: "Epigram" is also a word in the following languages with English translations in parentheses. Czech (epigram), Indonesian (epigram), Serbo-Croatian (epigram), Swedish (epigram), Turkish (epigram). |
| Domain | Title |
Books |
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Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| Author | Quotation |
Edwin P. Whipple | An epigram often flashes light into regions where reason shines but dimly. |
Minna Antrim | An epigram is a flashlight of a truth; a witticism, truth laughing at itself. |
Oscar Wilde | He would stab his best friend for the sake of writing an epigram on his tombstone. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | |
| Subject | Topic | Quote |
Lexicography | Devil's Dictionary | KING, n. A male person commonly known in America as a "crowned head," although he never wears a crown and has usually no head to speak of. A king, in times long, long gone by, Said to his lazy jester: "If I were you and you were I My moments merrily would fly -- Nor care nor grief to pester." "The reason, Sire, that you would thrive," The fool said -- "if you'll hear it -- Is that of all the fools alive Who own you for their sovereign, I've The most forgiving spirit." Oogum Bem KING'S :EVIL:, n. A malady that was formerly cured by the touch of the sovereign, but has now to be treated by the physicians. Thus 'the most pious Edward" of England used to lay his royal hand upon the ailing subjects and make them whole -- a crowd of wretched souls That stay his cure: their malady convinces The great essay of art; but at his touch, Such sanctity hath Heaven given his hand, They presently amend, as the "Doctor" in Macbeth hath it. This useful property of the royal hand could, it appears, be transmitted along with other crown properties; for according to "Malcolm," 'tis spoken To the succeeding royalty he leaves The healing benediction. But the gift somewhere dropped out of the line of succession: the later sovereigns of England have not been tactual healers, and the disease once honored with the name "king's evil" now bears the humbler one of "scrofula," from scrofa, a sow. The date and author of the following epigram are known only to the author of this dictionary, but it is old enough to show that the jest about Scotland's national disorder is not a thing of yesterday. Ye Kynge his evill in me laye, Wh. he of Scottlande charmed awaye. He layde his hand on mine and sayd: "Be gone!" Ye ill no longer stayd. But O ye wofull plyght in wh. I'm now y-pight: I have ye itche! The superstition that maladies can be cured by royal taction is dead, but like many a departed conviction it has left a monument of custom to keep its memory green. The practice of forming a line and shaking the President's hand had no other origin, and when that great dignitary bestows his healing salutation on strangely visited people, All swoln and ulcerous, pitiful to the eye, The mere despair of surgery, he and his patients are handing along an extinguished torch which once was kindled at the altar-fire of a faith long held by all classes of men. It is a beautiful and edifying "survival" -- one which brings the sainted past close home in our "business and bosoms." |
Source: compiled by the editor from ICON Group International, Inc.; see credits. | ||
| "Epigram" is generally used as a noun (singular) -- approximately 100.00% of the time. "Epigram" is used about 21 times out of a sample of 100 million words spoken or written in English. Its rank is based on over 700,000 words used in the English language. Some parts-of-speech are not covered due to the samples used by the British National Corpus. (note: percents less than one-hundredth of one percent have been omitted) |
| Parts of Speech | Percent | Usage per 100 Million Words | Rank in English |
| Noun (singular) | 100% | 21 | 76,261 |
Source: compiled by the editor from several corpora; see credits.
| The following statistics estimate the number of searches per day across the major English-language search engines as identified by various trade publications. Hyperlinks lead to commercial use of the expression at Amazon.com. |
| Expression | Frequency per Day |
epigram | 23 |
epigram poem | 8 |
epigram poetry | 3 |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| Language | Translations for "epigram"; alternative meanings/domain in parentheses. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Albanian | epigramë (quip), shënim (annotation, comment, denotation, denotement, designation, entry, gloss, jotting, memorandum, notation, notch, notching, note, paragraph, record, remark, writing). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Arabic | حكمة معبرة بشكل ساخر, ساخر (biting, bitter, cutting, cynic, cynical, derisive, derisory, giber, ironic, ironical, irradiant, lampooner, lampoonist, laughable, persiflage, quizzical, sarcastic, sardonic, saturnine, sneerer, snide, tongue in cheek, wry), الابيغرام قصيدة قصيرة مختتمة بفكرة ساخرة. (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Bulgarian | епиграма. (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Czech | epigram. (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Farsi | هجا, لطیفه (Jape, Jest, Joke, Quip, Witticism), قطعه هجاءی , سخن نیشدار. (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Finnish | komparuno. (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
French | épigramme. (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
German | Sinngedicht. (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Greek | επίγραμμα (label). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Hebrew | מכתם (aphorism), פת'ם (adage, aphorism, byword, motto, proverb, saying), אפי'רם. (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Hungarian | epigramma. (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Indonesian | epigram. (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Italian | epigramma. (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Japanese Kanji | 名文句 (aphorism, well-worded saying, wittyremark), エネルギー問題 (apron, apron stage, effect, effective, effector, effects, energy, energy problems, ephedrine, epic, epicurean, epigone, epigraph, epilogue, episode, episteme, epitaph, epitaxy, Epson, evaluation, evaluator, evangelist, evaporated milk, event, ever, ever onward, Everest, Everglaze, evergreen, Everpleats, Everwhite, FBI, Federal Bureau of Investigation, FM, FM tuner, foam rubber, frequency modulation, Jehovah, rapier, special version of a product with features that allow it to be used for evaluation, tags attached to industrial equipment when defects or malfunctions are discovered), 寸鉄 (pithy saying, short blade, small weapon). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Japanese Katakana | す"てつ (pithy saying, short blade, small weapon), めいも"く (aphorism, well-worded saying, wittyremark), エ"グラ . (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Pig Latin | epigramay epigrama. (various references) epigramã (quip). (various references) эпиграмма (quip, squib, tetrastich). (various references) epigram. (various references) epigrama. (various references) epigram. (various references) บทกวีสั้นๆ ที่มักจะมีการเสีย"สีหรือมีคำคมในตอนจบ, คำคม. (various references) epigram, vecize (aphorism, apophthegm, apothegm, dicta, dictum, gnome, Maxim, motto, posy, sentence), taşlama (burlesque, lampoon, satire, squib, stoning), nükteli söz (bon mot, witty saying), nükte (mot, Sally, salt, wit, witticism), iğneli söz (barb, biting words, cutting words, rapier thrust, sideswipe), anıt üzerine kazınmış eski yazıt. (various references) сентенція (gnome, word), епіграма. (various references) thơ tr o phúng cách nói dí dỏm, lời nói dí dỏm (mot, witticism). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Language | Period | Translations |
| Greek | 700 BCE-300 CE | epigramma. (various references) |
| Latin | 500 BCE-Modern | lemma. (various references) |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
Derivations | |
Words beginning with "epigram": epigrammatic, epigrammatically, epigrammatism, epigrammatisms, epigrammatist, epigrammatists, epigrammatize, epigrammatized, epigrammatizer, epigrammatizers, epigrammatizes, epigrammatizing, epigrams. (additional references) | |
| |
"Epigram" is suggested in spellcheckers for the following: Eigerman, Eigiau, epigam, Epigas, Erpingham, Imigram, lexigram, Pegram, Pigram. (additional references) | |
| Source: compiled by the editor, based on several corpora (additional references). | |
| # of Phoneme Matches | Pronunciation | Word(s) rhyming with "epigram" (pronounced e"pugra'm) |
| 5 | -u g r a' m | anagram, Centigram, diagram, electrocardiogram, histogram, hologram, kilogram, logogram, milligram, monogram, sonogram, telegram. |
| 4 | -g r a' m | cablegram, engram, mammogram, microgram, program, programme, reprogram. |
| 3 | -r a' m | diaphragm, Wolfram. |
Source: compiled by the editor (additional references); see credits. | ||
Scrabble® Enable2K-Verified Anagrams | |
Direct Anagrams: primage. | |
| Words within the letters "a-e-g-i-m-p-r" | |
-1 letter: gamier, imager, magpie, maigre, mirage. | |
-2 letters: aimer, gamer, gaper, gramp, grape, grime, gripe, image, marge, pager, parge, prima, prime, ramie, regma, remap. | |
-3 letters: ager, amie, amir, aper, emir, game, gamp, gape, gear, germ, gimp, gram, grim, grip, mage, magi, mair, mare, mire, page, pair, pare, peag, pear, peri, perm, pier, pima, pram, prig. | |
| Words containing the letters "a-e-g-i-m-p-r" | |
+1 letter: epigrams, primages, umpirage. | |
+2 letters: epiphragm, graphemic, hampering, pampering, prearming, remapping, revamping, tampering, umpirages. | |
+3 letters: angiosperm, campaigner, epiphragms, graphemics, impearling, impregnant, impregnate, megasporic, microphage, mimeograph, permeating, permillage, pigmentary, pilgrimage, prewarming, resampling, restamping, scampering. | |
+4 letters: angiosperms, aspergillum, attempering, campaigners, demographic, hypergamies, impetrating, imprecating, impregnable, impregnably, impregnants, impregnated, impregnates, impregnator, lamplighter, managership, microphages, mimeographs, papermaking, pelargonium, permillages, pilgrimaged, pilgrimages, premarriage, prestamping, promenading, seismograph, semaphoring, spermagonia. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. SCRABBLE® is a registered trademark. All intellectual property rights in and to the game are owned in the U.S.A and Canada by Hasbro Inc., and throughout the rest of the world by J.W. Spear & Sons Limited of Maidenhead, Berkshire, England, a subsidiary of Mattel Inc. Mattel and Spear are not affiliated with Hasbro. | |
| 1. Definition 2. Synonyms 3. Crosswords 4. Usage: Commercial | 5. Quotations: Familiar 6. Quotations: Non-fiction 7. Usage Frequency 8. Expressions: Internet | 9. Translations: Modern 10. Translations: Ancient 11. Derivations 12. Rhymes | 13. Anagrams 14. Bibliography |
Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.
