proverb

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. n. A short pithy saying in frequent and widespread use that expresses a basic truth or practical precept. See Synonyms at saying.
2. n. See Table at Bible.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. n. A short pithy sentence, often repeated colloquially, expressing a well-known truth or a common fact ascertained by experience or observation; a popular saying which briefly and forcibly expresses some practical precept; an adage; a wise saw: often set forth in the guise of metaphor and in the form of rime, and sometimes alliterative.
2. n. A byword; a reproach; an object of scorn or derision.
3. n. In Scripture, an enigmatical utterance; a mysterious or oracular saying that requires interpretation.
4. n. plural [capitalized] One of the books of the Old Testament, following the Book of Psalms. The full title is Proverbs of Solomon (i. 1). It is a collection of the sayings of the sages of Israel, taking its full title from the chief among them, though it is by no means certain that he is the author of a majority of them. The original meaning of mashal, the Hebrew word translated ‘proverb,’ seems to be ‘a comparison.’ The term is sometimes translated ‘parable’ in our English Bible; but, as such comparisons were commonly made in the East by short and pithy sayings, the word came to be applied to these chiefly, though not exclusively. They formed one of the most characteristic features of Eastern literature.
5. n. A dramatic composition in which some proverb or popular saying is taken as the foundation of the plot. Good examples are — “A Door must be either Open or Shut,” Alfred de Musset; “Still Water Runs Deep,” When such dramas are extemporized, as in private theatricals, the proverb employed is often withheld, to be guessed by the audience after the representation.
6. n. Synonyms Axiom, Maxim, etc. See aphorism.
7. To utter in the form of proverb; speak of proverbially; make a byword of.
8. To provide with a proverb.
9. To utter proverbs.

Wiktionary

1. n. A phrase expressing a basic truth which may be applied to common situations.
2. v. To write or utter proverbs.

GNU Webster's 1913

1. n. An old and common saying; a phrase which is often repeated; especially, a sentence which briefly and forcibly expresses some practical truth, or the result of experience and observation; a maxim; a saw; an adage.
2. n. A striking or paradoxical assertion; an obscure saying; an enigma; a parable.
3. n. A familiar illustration; a subject of contemptuous reference.
4. n. A drama exemplifying a proverb.
5. v. rare To name in, or as, a proverb.
6. v. rare To provide with a proverb.
7. v. rare To write or utter proverbs.

WordNet 3.0

1. n. a condensed but memorable saying embodying some important fact of experience that is taken as true by many people