saying

saying
saying (n.) "utterance, recitation, act of the verb 'say,' " c.1300, verbal noun from SAY (Cf. say) (v.); meaning "something that has been said" (usually by someone thought important) is from c.1300; sense of "a proverb" is first attested mid-15c.
Ça va sans dire, a familiar French locution, whose English equivalent might be "that is a matter of course," or "that may be taken for granted." But recently it has become the tendency to translate it literally, "that goes without saying," and these words, though originally uncouth and almost unmeaning to the unpractised ear, are gradually acquiring the exact meaning of the French. [Walsh, 1892]

Etymology dictionary. 2014.

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  • saying — saying, saw, adage, proverb, maxim, motto, epigram, aphorism, apothegm can all denote a sententious expression of a general truth. A saying is a brief current or habitual expression that may be anonymous, traditional, or attributable to a… …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • saying — [sā′iŋ] n. 1. the act of one who says 2. something said; esp., an adage, proverb, or maxim SYN. SAYINGSAYING is the simple, direct term for any pithy expression of wisdom or truth; a SAW2 is an old, homely saying that is well worn by repetition… …   English World dictionary

  • Saying — Say ing, n. That which is said; a declaration; a statement, especially a proverbial one; an aphorism; a proverb. [1913 Webster] Many are the sayings of the wise, In ancient and in modern books enrolled. Milton. [1913 Webster] Syn: Declaration;… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • saying — index catchword, expression (comment), maxim, phrase, remark Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 …   Law dictionary

  • saying — [n] maxim, proverb adage, aphorism, apophthegm, axiom, byword, dictum, epigram, motto, precept, saw, statement, truism; concept 278 …   New thesaurus

  • saying — ► NOUN ▪ a short, commonly known expression containing advice or wisdom …   English terms dictionary

  • Saying — A saying is something that is said, notable in one respect or another, to be a pithy expression of wisdom or truth. [1] There are a number of specific types of saying: Apothegm. “…an edgy, more cynical aphorism; such as, ‘Men are generally more… …   Wikipedia

  • saying — Synonyms and related words: Parthian shot, adage, address, affirmance, affirmation, allegation, ana, analects, announcement, annunciation, answer, aphorism, apostrophe, apothegm, assertion, asseveration, averment, avouchment, avowal, axiom,… …   Moby Thesaurus

  • saying */*/ — UK [ˈseɪɪŋ] / US noun [countable] Word forms saying : singular saying plural sayings a well known statement about what often happens in life Tomorrow s another day, she said, repeating one of her many sayings. as the saying goes (= according to… …   English dictionary

  • saying — noun ADJECTIVE ▪ common, famous, popular, well known ▪ old, traditional ▪ wise ▪ favourite/favorite …   Collocations dictionary

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