I. ˈpräˌvərb, -və̄b, -vəib sometimes -ä_və(r)b noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English proverbe, from Middle French, from Latin proverbium, from pro- before + verbum word — more at pro- , word
1.
a. : a brief epigrammatic saying that is a popular byword : an oft-repeated pithy and ingeniously turned maxim : adage , saw
referred her to the proverb “marry in haste, repent at leisure”
b. : a profound or oracular maxim ; especially : a truth couched in obscure language : parable
2. : one (as a name or person) that has become a matter of common talk : byword
proverbs for places no one could ever see — Manchester Guardian Weekly
3. proverbs plural but singular or plural in construction : a game in which one player tries to guess a proverb that the others have chosen by asking questions and finding one word of the proverb in each answer
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- to a proverb
II. transitive verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
1. obsolete : to provide with a proverb
I am proverbed with a grandsire phrase — Shakespeare
2. : to turn into a proverb or byword
proverbed for a fool in every street — John Milton