noun
byword
A familiar saying or commonly used expression.
The old byword warns against counting chickens before they hatch.
Etymology
The Old English compound already meant a proverb or saying. This sense preserves the idea of a familiar expression repeated often enough to become recognizable in its own right.
More examples
- She repeated the familiar byword at every family gathering.
- The collection preserves regional bywords and proverbs.
- A useful byword can express a lesson in very few words.
Forms
byword · bywords
Similar words
- proverb
- A traditional saying conveying advice or wisdom, usually more specific than byword.