English Dictionary
Definition of “maxim”
maxim (ˈmæksɪm
)
Definitions
noun
- a brief expression of a general truth, principle, or rule of conduct
Word Origin
C15: via French from Medieval Latin, from maxima, in the phrase maxima prōpositio basic axiom (literally: greatest proposition); see maximum
Synonyms
View thesaurus entry
=
saying,
motto,
adage,
proverb,
rule,
saw,
gnome,
dictum,
axiom,
aphorism,
byword,
apophthegm,
Maxim (ˈmæksɪm)
Definitions
noun
- Sir Hiram Stevens. 1840–1916, British inventor of the first automatic machine gun (1884), born in the US
Usage examples
The maxim was accompanied by an image of the Grim Reaper standing beside a blackboard, scythe in one hand, stick of chalk in the other.
Mark Mills, AMAGANSETT (2004)No sign then of the Reithian maxim ,'Don't give them what they want, give them something better'.
Spiked (2004)U. S. President George Bush should heed the wise old New York garment district maxim : "First loss, best loss.
Edmonton Sun (2003)Romans ' safety maxim still rings true By Eric Waugh featureseditor@belfasttelegraph.
Belfast Telegraph (2004)He was unafraid of the aircraft that bombed him or the maxim guns that scythed down his troops.
Aidan Hartley, THE ZANZIBAR CHEST: A Memoir of Love and War (2003)
