epigram

noun

ep·​i·​gram ˈe-pə-ˌgram How to pronounce epigram (audio)
1
: a concise poem dealing pointedly and often satirically with a single thought or event and often ending with an ingenious turn of thought
2
: a terse, sage, or witty and often paradoxical saying
3
: epigrammatic expression
epigrammatism noun
epigrammatist noun

Did you know?

Ancient Greeks and Romans used the word epigramma (from Greek epigraphein, meaning "to write on") to refer to a concise, witty, and often satirical verse. The Roman poet Martial (who published eleven books of these epigrammata, or epigrams, between the years 86 and 98 C.E.) was a master of the form: "You puff the poets of other days, / the living you deplore. / Spare me the accolade: your praise / Is not worth dying for." English speakers adopted the "verse" sense of the word when we first used epigram for a concise poem dealing pointedly and often satirically with a single thought or event in the 15th century. In the late 18th century, we began using epigram for concise, witty sayings, even if they didn't rhyme.

Examples of epigram in a Sentence

Benjamin Franklin's famous epigram, “Remember that time is money”.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
On his plane plastered with Trumpian epigrams, Vance makes the case for Trump’s second-term vision of enhanced executive power. Eric Cortellessa, TIME, 26 Sep. 2024 No one could tell the clock by him; no one could quote an epigram of his; no one could ever remember his being a friend of their daddy—or even their granddaddy. E. L. Doctorow, The New Yorker, 1 July 2024 Chevalier wrote that the idea for the reports had come from Oppenheimer, who helped to write them and even chose literary references for the epigrams. TIME, 8 Mar. 2024 One of the book's epigrams is from Amy Richlin of the University of California, Los Angeles, talking about her experience in the 1970s. Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 8 Nov. 2023 An epigram for one of his chapters in The Real Anthony Fauci, a quote from C. S. Lewis, offers a hint: Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. Matthew Scully, National Review, 16 May 2023 An epigram by any other name . Bryan A. Garner, National Review, 15 Sep. 2022 Unlike those, an epigram has a flash of pleasing humor in it. Bryan A. Garner, National Review, 15 Sep. 2022 The epigram is applicable to the current stock market flavor-of-the-year, SPACs, or Special Purpose Acquisition Corporations. Jerry Weissman, Forbes, 9 Apr. 2021

Word History

Etymology

Middle English epigrame, borrowed from Latin epigrammat-, epigramma "inscription, epitaph, epigram," borrowed from Greek epigrammat-, epígramma "inscription on a tomb, monument or work of art" (Late Greek, "short poem, epigram"), from epigráphein "to mark the surface of, graze, scratch a mark on, inscribe" (from epi- epi- + gráphein "to cut into, scratch, inscribe, write") + -mat-, -ma, resultative noun suffix — more at carve

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of epigram was in the 15th century

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Cite this Entry

“Epigram.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/epigram. Accessed 14 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

epigram

noun
ep·​i·​gram ˈep-ə-ˌgram How to pronounce epigram (audio)
1
: a short poem ending with a clever or witty expression
2
: a brief witty saying
epigrammatist noun

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