the.com/adage
A sentence that survived because it's short enough to outlive the argument it ended.
means A short, well-worn saying that's accepted as wisdom because it's been repeated for generations.
from From French 'adage,' from Latin 'adagium' — built from 'ad-' (to) plus a root related to 'aio' meaning 'I say.' So at its root it just means 'a saying,' something spoken and passed along until it hardened into truth.
- not proverb
- adages are secular, usually attributed to someone specific
- etymology
- from Latin adagium, related to aio, I say
- test of time
- must be old and widely repeated to earn the name
- irony
- often outlives the truth it was coined to state