''Apophthegmata'', the plural of ''apophthegm'' (also spelled ''apothegm''), a pithy maxim, is the abbreviated title of several collections of
aphorism
An aphorism (from Greek ἀφορισμός: ''aphorismos'', denoting 'delimitation', 'distinction', and 'definition') is a concise, terse, laconic, or memorable expression of a general truth or principle. Aphorisms are often handed down by tra ...
s,
adage
An adage (; Latin: adagium) is a memorable and usually philosophical aphorism that communicates an important truth derived from experience, custom, or both, and that many people consider true and credible because of its longeval tradition, i.e. ...
s,
maxims, or
proverb
A proverb (from la, proverbium) is a simple and insightful, traditional saying that expresses a perceived truth based on common sense or experience. Proverbs are often metaphorical and use formulaic speech, formulaic language. A proverbial phra ...
s, specifically:
*
Apophthegmata of Delphi
* ''
Apophthegmata Laconica
The ''Moralia'' ( grc, Ἠθικά ''Ethika''; loosely translated as "Morals" or "Matters relating to customs and mores") is a group of manuscripts dating from the 10th–13th centuries, traditionally ascribed to the 1st-century Greek scholar Plu ...
'' attributed to
Plutarchus
Plutarch (; grc-gre, Πλούταρχος, ''Ploútarchos''; ; – after AD 119) was a Greek Middle Platonist philosopher, historian, biographer, essayist, and priest at the Temple of Apollo in Delphi. He is known primarily for his ' ...
* ''
Apophthegmata Patrum
The ''Sayings of the Desert Fathers'' ( la, Apophthegmata Patrum Aegyptiorum; el, ἀποφθέγματα τῶν πατέρων, translit=Apophthégmata tōn Patérōn) is the name given to various textual collections consisting of stories and ...
'' (''Sayings of the
hristian DesertFathers'')
* ''
Apophthegmata Macarii Magni''
* ''Apophthegmatum Opus'' of
Desiderius Erasmus Roterodamus
Desiderius Erasmus Roterodamus (; ; English: Erasmus of Rotterdam or Erasmus;''Erasmus'' was his baptismal name, given after St. Erasmus of Formiae. ''Desiderius'' was an adopted additional name, which he used from 1496. The ''Roterodamus'' wa ...
* ''Apophthegmata, ex Probatis Graecae Latinaeque Linguae Scriptoribus'' of
Conrad Lycosthenes
Conrad Lycosthenes (8 August 151825 March 1561), born Conrad Wolffhart, was an Alsatian humanist and encyclopedist. Deacon of Saint Leonard in Basel, professor of grammar and dialectics, Lycosthenes had a passion for the study of nature and geop ...
(circa 1518-61)
* ''Ars Apophthegmatica'' (1655-6) of
Georg Philipp Harsdörffer
Georg Philipp Harsdörffer (1 November 1607 – 17 September 1658) was a Jurist, Baroque-period German poet and translator.
Born in Nuremberg, he studied law at Altdorf and Strassburg. He studied at the University of Strassburg under professo ...
* ''Der Teutschen Scharpfsinnige kluge Sprüch'' (1626) of Julius Wilhelm Zincgref
It may also denominate, ''scire licet'', a
literary genre
A literary genre is a category of literature. Genres may be determined by literary technique, tone, content, or length (especially for fiction). They generally move from more abstract, encompassing classes, which are then further sub-divided i ...
.
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