axiom

Reading level: hard

Estimated CEFR level: C1 — Advanced

Estimated from word frequency; not an official CEFR classification.

Definition

  1. noun a saying that is widely accepted on its own merits
  2. noun (logic) a proposition that is not susceptible of proof or disproof; its truth is assumed to be self-evident

Etymology

From Middle French axiome in the 15th century, from Latin axiōma (“axiom; principle”), from Ancient Greek ἀξίωμα (axíōma, “that which is thought to fit, a requisite, that which a pupil is required to know beforehand, a self-evident principle”), from ἀξιόω (axióō, “to think fit or worthy, to require, to demand”), from ἄξιος (áxios, “fit, worthy”, literally “weighing as much as; of like value”), from ἄγω (ágō, “to weigh (down)”).

In classic literature

Synonyms

maxim

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