maxim : Dictionary / Wörterbuch (BEOLINGUS, TU Chemnitz)

English Dictionary: maxim	by the DICT Development Group
2 results for maxim
From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]:
maxim n a saying that is widely accepted on its own merits [syn: maxim, axiom] English inventor (born in the United States) who invented the Maxim gun that was used in World War I (1840-1916) Synonym(s): Maxim, Sir Hiram Stevens Maxim
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]:
Maxim \Max"im\, n. [F. maxime, L. maxima (sc. sententia), the greatest sentence, proposition, or axiom, i. e., of the greatest weight or authority, fem. fr. maximus greatest, superl. of magnus great. See {Magnitude}, and cf. {Maximum}.] 1. An established principle or proposition; a condensed proposition of important practical truth; an axiom of practical wisdom; an adage; a proverb; an aphorism. 'T is their maxim, Love is love's reward. --Dryden. 2. (Mus.) The longest note formerly used, equal to two longs, or four breves; a large. Syn: Axiom; aphorism; apothegm; adage; proverb; saying. See {Axiom}.