Apothegm is a noun that refers to a brief saying or aphorism.
The Greek word apophthegma (ah poe THEG ma) translates literally into ‘something clearly stated.’ An apothegm is a saying that is not only clear but brief.
My old English teacher would often finish each day with a terse, witty saying. But after a while it became clear that he had run out of apothegms and was just reading from fortune cookies.
