adage

noun

ad·age | \ ˈa-dij

Definition of adage

: a saying often in metaphorical form that typically embodies a common observation She reminded him of the adage: "A penny saved is a penny earned."

Synonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about adage

Keep scrolling for more

Examples of adage in a Sentence

that old adage, “the early bird gets the worm”

Recent Examples on the Web

The old coaching adage is that teams improve most between the first and second games. — oregonlive, "Goe: Oregon State Beavers are defenseless in a season-opening loss to Oklahoma State," 31 Aug. 2019 The obvious reason to worry about this is that there is more than a little truth in the old adage that those who don’t learn from history are condemned to repeat it. — The Economist, "The study of history is in decline in Britain," 18 July 2019 Nearly a decade before becoming Green’s teammate, Paschall’s father stressed an adage that would likely make Green nod in agreement. — Mark Medina, The Mercury News, "What Warriors rookie Eric Paschall thinks of the Draymond Green comparisons," 15 July 2019 The adage about everything old being new again certainly applies to beer, as the popularity of different beer types waxes, wanes and waxes once more. — Jay R. Brooks, The Mercury News, "The West Coast’s new radlers and shandys," 7 Aug. 2019 Hearing him complain reminded me of the adage that the most important factor in real estate is location. — Ramona Sentinel, "Ask Mr. Marketing: In real estate they say ...," 31 July 2019 Belichick’s last dig at the coaching goes to the old adage, there’s truth behind every joke. — Ben Volin, BostonGlobe.com, "This season, the biggest concern about the Patriots’ veteran-laden defense will be its coaching staff," 29 July 2019 As the old adage goes, there’s no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing. — Judy Koutsky, Condé Nast Traveler, "All Your Questions About Taking a Child on an Alaska Cruise, Answered," 20 June 2019 Good things come to those who wait, or so the old adage goes. — Shayna Murphy, USA TODAY, "The 7 most amazing deals and sales you can get this Thursday," 13 June 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'adage.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

History and Etymology for adage

borrowed from Middle French, borrowed from Latin adagiō, adagium, from ad- ad- + ag-, base of aiō, āiō "(I) say" (going back to *ag-i̯ō, going back to an Indo-European verb stem *h₂eǵ-i̯e- "say") + -ium, deverbal noun suffix; akin to Greek ê "(s/he) spoke," án-ōga "(I) command," Armenian asem "(I) say," Tocharian B āks- "announce, proclaim"

Note: The Latin form is possibly adāgiō; the lack of vowel reduction in the second syllable is otherwise unexplained. Michiel de Vaan, Etymological Dictionary of Latin (Brill, 2008), believes that the base is not aiō, but rather adigō, "I drive/thrust/plunge into, force, impel." Semantically, this is not compelling, and does not in any case solve the problem of the second syllable. On the other hand, the lack of attestation for aiō with any prefixes aside from this noun is striking.

Keep scrolling for more

More Definitions for adage

adage

noun

English Language Learners Definition of adage

: an old and well-known saying that expresses a general truth

See the full definition for adage in the English Language Learners Dictionary

adage

noun

ad·age | \ ˈa-dij

Kids Definition of adage

: an old familiar saying : proverb

Keep scrolling for more

adage

Definition of adage

Synonyms for adage

Examples of adage in a Sentence

First Known Use of adage

History and Etymology for adage

English Language Learners Definition of adage

Kids Definition of adage

adage

Definition of adage

Synonyms for adage

Examples of adage in a Sentence

First Known Use of adage

History and Etymology for adage

English Language Learners Definition of adage

Kids Definition of adage

WORD OF THE DAY