D defs.my
Entry 1 sense Webster, 1913

Aphorism

/ăf'-ẽr-ĭzˌ-əm/ · Aph·o·rism · IPA /ˈæfəˌɹɪzəm/
01 n. A comprehensive maxim or principle expressed in a few words; a sharply defined sentence relating to abstract truth rather than to practical…
  1. 1.
    A comprehensive maxim or principle expressed in a few words; a sharply defined sentence relating to abstract truth rather than to practical matters.
    “The first aphorism of Hippocrates is, “Life is short, and the art is long.”” — Fleming.