Aphorism
Etymology
From Greek "aphorismos," "a definition" or "distinction," from "apo," "from," and "horizein," "to mark off" or "to bound," itself from "horos," "boundary" — the same root as "horizon." The first famous aphorisms were Hippocrates’ terse medical maxims, "life is short, art is long" among them. The word’s root idea of marking something off cleanly survives in the form’s prized economy.
noun · /AF-uh-riz-um/
A short, pointed statement expressing a general truth or shrewd observation.
What it names
The idea compressed to its sharpest point — the sentence built to be remembered, at the risk of buying memorability with oversimplification.
Example
He had an aphorism for every occasion, which made him quotable and, over time, slightly exhausting.
Related idea
An aphorism prizes originality and wit; an adage has instead earned authority through long, anonymous repetition.