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epigram
epigram a short, polished, pithy saying, usually in verse, often with a satiric or paradoxical twist at the end. The term was originally applied by the Greeks to the inscriptions on stones. The epigrams of the Latin poet Martial established the form for many later writers. In England the epigram flourished in the work of innumerable poets including Donne, Herrick, Ben Jonson, Pope, Byron, Coleridge, and Walter Savage Landor. Great German epigrammatists include Logau, Lessing, and Herder. In 18th-century France, Boileau-Despréaux, Lebrun, and Voltaire excelled in the form. Poets of the 20th cent. who are noted for their epigrams include Yeats, Pound, Roy Campbell, and Ogden Nash. One of the most brilliant of prose epigrammatists was Oscar Wilde. His works are studded with epigrams, such as "I can resist everything except temptation." |
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"epigram." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "epigram." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-epigram.html "epigram." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-epigram.html |
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epigram
ep·i·gram / ˈepiˌgram/ • n. a pithy saying or remark expressing an idea in a clever and amusing way. ∎ a short poem, esp. a satirical one, having a witty or ingenious ending. DERIVATIVES: ep·i·gram·ma·tist / ˌepiˈgramətist/ n. ep·i·gram·ma·tize / ˌepiˈgraməˌtīz/ v. |
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"epigram." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "epigram." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-epigram.html "epigram." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-epigram.html |
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epigram
epigram XV. — F. épigramme or L. epigramma — Gr. epígramma, f. EPI- +gráphein write.
So epigraph inscription XVII; short quotation at the beginning of a work, etc. XIX. — Gr. epigraphḗ. Hence epigraphy (science of) inscriptions. XIX. |
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T. F. HOAD. "epigram." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. T. F. HOAD. "epigram." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-epigram.html T. F. HOAD. "epigram." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-epigram.html |
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epigram
epigram, originally an inscription, usually in verse, e.g. on a tomb; hence a short poem ending in a witty turn of thought; hence a pointed or antithetical saying.
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MARGARET DRABBLE and JENNY STRINGER. "epigram." The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature. 2003. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. MARGARET DRABBLE and JENNY STRINGER. "epigram." The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature. 2003. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O54-epigram.html MARGARET DRABBLE and JENNY STRINGER. "epigram." The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature. 2003. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O54-epigram.html |
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epigram
epigram a pithy saying or remark expressing an idea in a clever and amusing way; a short poem, especially a satirical one, having a witty or ingenious ending.
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ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "epigram." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "epigram." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-epigram.html ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "epigram." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-epigram.html |
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epigram
epigram
•am, Amsterdam, Assam, Bram, cam, cham, cheongsam, clam, cram, dam, damn, drachm, dram, exam, femme, flam, gam, glam, gram, ham, jam, jamb, lam, lamb, mam, mesdames, Omar Khayyám, Pam, pram, pro-am, ram, Sam, scam, scram, sham, Siam, slam, Spam, swam, tam, tram, Vietnam, wham, yam
•in memoriam • ad nauseam
•iamb, Priam
•grandam • Edam • goddam
•quondam • Potsdam • cofferdam
•Rotterdam • Oxfam • Birmingham
•Abraham • logjam • CAD-CAM
•minicam • Nicam
•Eelam, Elam
•flimflam • oriflamme • Suriname
•ad personam • diazepam • tangram
•ashram • telegram • milligram
•epigram • centigram • dithyramb
•program, programme
•cardiogram • radiogram • echogram
•mammogram
•aerogramme (US aerogram)
•microgram • dirham
•electrocardiogram • ideogram
•heliogram • diaphragm • diagram
•parallelogram • kilogram • hologram
•encephalogram • anagram
•monogram • sonogram • kissogram
•pentagram • cryptogram • photogram
•tam-tam • wigwam • whim-wham
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"epigram." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "epigram." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-epigram.html "epigram." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-epigram.html |
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