adage
adage, a saying, often in metaphoric form, that embodies a common observation, such as "If the shoe fits, wear it,’’ "Out of the frying pan, into the fire,’’ or "Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.’’ The scholar Erasmus published a well-known collection of adages as Adagia in 1508. The word is from the Latin adagium, “proverb.”
Citation Information
Article Title:
adage
Website Name:
Encyclopaedia Britannica
Publisher:
Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.
Date Published:
11 July 2019
Access Date:
March 14, 2025