What does apothegmatical mean?
Apothegmatical is a rare, literary adjective meaning of the nature of an apothegm — that is, consisting of or characterized by short, pithy, pointed sayings. It is applied chiefly to people, writers, and styles of speech or writing: an apothegmatical speaker favors compressed, memorable maxims over extended discussion. The word derives from 'apothegm', itself from the Greek 'apophthengesthai', meaning to speak out plainly or declare. In modern usage it appears mostly in formal criticism and biography, where it praises economy and sharpness of expression; its near synonyms include aphoristic, epigrammatic, laconic, and gnomic. Because the shorter form 'apothegmatic' is more common today, readers are likelier to meet 'apothegmatical' in older or deliberately ornate prose. It carries a connotation of admired brevity and intellectual polish — the opposite of verbose or rambling discourse — making it a useful term for describing wit that achieves maximum effect in minimum words.
adjectiveOf the nature of or characteristic of an apothegm; given to speaking in short, pithy, pointed sayings.
- Characteristic of or consisting in short, pithy, instructive sayings (apothegms).
"The retiring professor was remembered for his apothegmatical wit — every lecture ended with one perfectly compressed maxim."
"Her apothegmatical style made her columns quotable in a single line."
"He was an apothegmatical conversationalist who preferred one sharp sentence to ten minutes of talk."
Apothegmatical is the long-winded way of describing someone who never speaks at length — a word that compresses an entire personality into five syllables.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of apothegmatical
Apothegmatical comes from 'apothegm' (also spelled 'apophthegm'), a short, pithy saying, which English borrowed in the sixteenth century from Greek 'apophthegma' via Latin. The Greek noun derives from the verb 'apophthengesthai', meaning to speak out or pronounce plainly. The adjectival form with the '-ical' suffix developed as a fuller variant of 'apothegmatic'; both forms share their root with the related Greek-derived terms apophthegm and apophthegmatic.
Related word forms
How apothegmatical is actually used
Rare and somewhat bookish; the shorter form 'apothegmatic' is more frequently encountered. Both belong to formal or literary register and are typically used to describe writers, speakers, or styles of expression rather than objects.
Easily confused with apothegmatical
Apothegmatic is the more common form of the same adjective; apothegmatical is a rarer variant with the fuller '-ical' ending.
An apothegm is the noun — a short, pithy saying itself — while apothegmatical describes something that has the character of such a saying.