An apothegm is a brief and sententious expression that seeks to instruct.
Apothegma is a term that comes from the Latin word apophthegma , although its most distant origin is found in the Greek language. Specifically, we have to state that apothegm originally comes from a Greek word that was made up of two clearly differentiated parts: the particle apo , which can be translated as "outside" or "far away" ; and the verb phthengesthai , which is synonymous with "declare" .
An apothegm, in this way, is a short and sententious saying , which includes a moral content that is intended to instruct.
For example: "The writer launched another of his famous apothegms before ending the interview" , "Do not come with another apothegm: I am adult enough for you to be advising me about my life" , "The philosopher wrote several apothegms about life in the countryside .
Characteristics of an apothegm
It can be said that an apothegm is a short sentence that expresses important content without the need to rely on or extend it in other sentences . In this sense, it is possible to compare apothegms with aphorisms , sayings or proverbs .
It must be established that the first time it is considered that an apothegm was spoken of was by Cicero . And he announced that Cato had carried out the compilation of important and significant things that responded to that name.
An apothegm can be compared to a proverb, a saying or an aphorism.
Comparison with the aphorism, the proverb and the saying
The aphorism is usually created by an individual who claims authorship. Proverbs, on the other hand, come from the people and are anonymous. The same thing happens with proverbs that also carry some implicit warning.
The apothegm, therefore, is more similar to the aphorism than to the proverb or saying, since its author is usually known. The main difference between the apothegm and the aphorism is that the former does not usually cover serious topics, in addition to being cute or funny. That is why the apothegm can also be a sentence said with grace that does not include moral content .
Apothegms and Peronism
There are many apothegms that are used in various sectors of our society. This happens, for example, in the field of politics. In this case, throughout history important rulings of this type have emerged and a good example is the one established by the former president of Argentina Juan Domingo Perón . And he even stated that the Peronists were like cats, because when it seemed like they were fighting, what they were actually doing was reproducing.
Another example of an apothegm is the one pronounced by the writer Jorge Luis Borges about the people who belong to the Peronist movement : "The Peronists are neither good nor bad: they are incorrigible."
The term in literature
Within the field of literature, we have to point out that there are various works that use the word apothegm in their titles or themes. Among those we could highlight, for example, "Apotegmas in the desert" which belongs to the author Mariano Torrent .
In the same way, we must highlight " Apothegmas regarding Marxism" , an essay on politics published in 1970 and written by the Zamorano thinker Agustín García Calvo .