Short traditional saying that expresses a perceived truth
"Proverbs" redirects here. For the biblical text, see Book of Proverbs. For other uses, see Proverb (disambiguation).
"Adage" redirects here. For other uses, see Adage (disambiguation).
Not to be confused with pro-verb.
Literature
Oral literature
Folklore
fable
fairy tale
folk play
folksong
heroic epic
legend
myth
proverb
Oration
Performance
audiobook
spoken word
Saying
Major written forms
Drama
closet drama
Poetry
lyric
narrative
Prose
Nonsense
verse
Ergodic
Electronic
Long prose fiction
Anthology
Serial
Novel/romance
Short prose fiction
Novella
Novelette
Short story
Drabble
Sketch
Flash fiction
Parable
Religious
Wisdom
Prose genres
Fiction
Speculative
Realist
Children's
Genre
adventure
coming-of-age
crime
erotic
fantasy
military
paranormal
romance
science fiction
supernatural
Western
horror
Historical
Encyclopedic
Non-fiction
Academic
history
philosophy
Anecdote
Epistle
Essay
Journalism
Letter
Life
Nature
Persuasive
Travelogue
Poetry genres
Narrative
Epic
Dramatic
Verse novel
National
Lyric
Ballad
Elegy
Epigram
Ghazal
Haiku
Hymn
Limerick
Ode
Qasida
Sonnet
Villanelle
Lists
Epic
Groups and movements
Poets
Dramatic genres
Comedy
Libretto
Play
historical
moral
Satire
Script
Tragedy
Tragicomedy
History
Ancient
Classical
Medieval
Modernist
Postmodern
Lists and outlines
Outline
Glossary
Books
Writers
Movements
Cycles
Literary awards
poetry
Theory and criticism
Sociology
Magazines
Composition
Language
Narrative
Feud
Literature portal
v
t
e
A proverb (from Latin: proverbium) or an adage is a simple, traditional saying that expresses a perceived truth based on common sense or experience. Proverbs are often metaphorical and use formulaic language.[1][2] A proverbial phrase or a proverbial expression is a type of a conventional saying similar to proverbs and transmitted by oral tradition.[1] The difference is that a proverb is a fixed expression, while a proverbial phrase permits alterations to fit the grammar of the context.[3][4] Collectively, they form a genre of folklore.[5]
Some proverbs exist in more than one language because people borrow them from languages and cultures with which they are in contact.[1] In the West, the Bible (including, but not limited to the Book of Proverbs) and medieval Latin (aided by the work of Erasmus) have played a considerable role in distributing proverbs.[1] Not all Biblical proverbs, however, were distributed to the same extent: one scholar has gathered evidence to show that cultures in which the Bible is the major spiritual book contain "between three hundred and five hundred proverbs that stem from the Bible,"[6] whereas another shows that, of the 106 most common and widespread proverbs across Europe, 11 are from the Bible.[7] However, almost every culture has its own unique proverbs.[8]
^ abcdAgrawal, Dr K. P. (2023-02-12). Tresure Of Book: On Poetries, Ghazals, Proverbs, Riddles, Idioms, Jokes and Quotes. Shashwat Publication. p. 12. ISBN 978-93-95362-30-6.
^Upadhyay, Manish k (2023-02-12). General English. Rama publication. p. 196.
^Adams, Owen S. (1949). "Proverbial Phrases from California". Western Folklore. 8 (2): 95–116. doi:10.2307/1497581. JSTOR 1497581.
^Arvo Krikmann "the Great Chain Metaphor: An Open Sezame for Proverb Semantics?", Proverbium:Yearbook of International Scholarship, 11 (1994), pp. 117–124.
^Dundes, Alan (1980-08-22). Interpreting Folklore. Indiana University Press. p. 30. ISBN 978-0-253-20240-6.
^p. 12, Wolfgang Mieder. 1990. Not by bread alone: Proverbs of the Bible. New England Press.
^Paczolay, Gyula. 1997. European Proverbs in 55 Languages. Veszpre'm, Hungary.
^Ross, Rosetta E.; Amenga-Etego, Rose Mary (2015-12-15). Unraveling and Reweaving Sacred Canon in Africana Womanhood. Lexington Books. p. 24. ISBN 978-1-4985-1822-2.
A proverb (from Latin: proverbium) or an adage is a simple, traditional saying that expresses a perceived truth based on common sense or experience. Proverbs...
"Curiosity killed the cat" is a proverb used to warn of the dangers of unnecessary investigation or experimentation. It also implies that being curious...
generalisations and thus a particular proverb will have specific situations where it is not applicable. Knowing when a proverb is inapplicable is part of the...
lost. And all for the want of a horseshoe nail. "For want of a nail" is a proverb, having numerous variations over several centuries, reminding that seemingly...
Blood is thicker than water is a proverb in English meaning that familial bonds will always be stronger than other relationships. The oldest record of...
A Japanese proverb (諺, ことわざ, kotowaza) may take the form of: a short saying (言い習わし, iinarawashi), an idiomatic phrase (慣用句, kan'yōku), or a four-character...
"It takes a village to raise a child" is a proverb that means that an entire community of people must provide for and interact positively with children...
"The road to hell is paved with good intentions" is a proverb or aphorism. An alternative form is "Hell is full of good meanings, but heaven is full of...
"An apple a day keeps the doctor away" is a common English-language proverb that appeared in the 19th century, advocating for the consumption of apples...
"All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy" is an old proverb that means without time off from work, a person becomes both bored and boring. It is often...
homini lupus, or in its unabridged form Homo homini lupus est, is a Latin proverb meaning "Man is a wolf to man," or more literally "Man to man is wolf."...
Wiktionary, the free dictionary. "Only the good die young" is an English proverb, and it may also refer to: "Only the Good Die Young", a 1977 song by Billy...
Birds of a feather flock together is an English proverb. The meaning is that beings (typically humans) of similar type, interest, personality, character...
Any port in a storm is a proverb that loosely means that when someone is in trouble they cannot wait for the perfect solution. The phrase has been used...
that the Moon is composed of cheese. In its original formulation as a proverb and metaphor for credulity with roots in fable, this refers to the perception...
31:10–31: the ideal wise woman (elsewhere called the "woman of substance"). "Proverb" is a translation of the Hebrew word mashal, but "mashal" has a wider range...
Manipuri-English dictionary (Proverb)". dsal.uchicago.edu. University of Chicago. p. 113. Retrieved 27 April 2023. pāorou ꯄꯥꯑꯣꯔꯧ /pao.rəu/ n. proverb. Morph: pāo‑rou...
the brave" are among the English translations for a like-minded Latin proverb that has many variations: Audentes Fortuna Iuvat. The core meaning of the...
important proverbs highlighted: English proverb index. Hippocrene Books, 1995. Permiakov, Grigoriĭ Lʹvovich. From proverb to Folk-tale: Notes on the general...
needed] The Portuguese proverb "Quem não chora, não mama" ("He who does not cry does not get breastfed.") The Spanish proverb "El que no llora no mama"...
evil". In Buddhist tradition, the tenets of the proverb are about not dwelling on evil thoughts. The proverb and the image are often used to refer to a lack...
Global Information
Literature portal