ˈaksēəm noun
( -s )
Etymology: Latin axioma, from Greek axiōma, from axioun to think worthy, think fit, from axios worth, worthy, fit; akin to Greek agein to lead, drive, weigh as much as — more at agent
1.
a. : a proposition, principle, rule, or maxim that has found general acceptance or is thought worthy thereof whether by virtue of a claim to intrinsic merit
the axioms of wisdom
or on the basis of an appeal to self-evidence
the axioms of euclidean geometry
b.
(1) Baconianism : an empirical rule or generalization based on experience
(2) Kantianism : an immediately certain synthetic a priori proposition
2. : a selfconsistent statement about the primitive terms or undefinable objects that form the basis for discourse : postulate
the statement that there is one and only one straight line passing through two given points is an axiom
Synonyms: see principle