View source for proverb

{{also|pro-verb|Proverbs}}
==English==

===Etymology===
{{root|en|ine-pro|*pro-}}
From {{uder|en|fro|proverbe}}, from {{uder|en|la|proverbium}}.

===Pronunciation===
* {{IPA|en|/ˈpɹɒvɜːb/|a=UK}}
* {{IPA|en|/ˈpɹɑvɝb/|a=US}}
* {{audio|en|en-us-proverb.ogg|a=US}}
* {{rhymes|en|ɜː(ɹ)b|s=2}}

===Noun===
{{en-noun}}

# A commonly used sentence expressing popular wisdom.
#: {{cot|en|epigram|idiom|Thesaurus:saying}}
#: {{nearsyn|en|aphorism|maxim}}
# {{lb|en|obsolete}} A [[striking]] or [[paradox]]ical assertion; an obscure [[saying]]; an [[enigma]]; a [[parable]].
#* {{RQ:KJV|John|16|29|passage=His disciples said unto him, Lo, now speakest thou plainly, and speakest no '''proverb'''.}}
# {{lb|en|obsolete}} A familiar illustration; a subject of contemptuous reference.
#* {{RQ:KJV|Deuteronomy|28|37|passage=Thou shalt become an astonishment, a '''proverb''', and a by word, among all nations.}}
# {{lb|en|obsolete}} A [[drama]] [[exemplify]]ing a proverb.

====Synonyms====
* {{sense|commonly used sentence expressing popular wisdom}} {{l|en|adage}}, {{l|en|apothegm}}, {{l|en|byword}}, {{l|en|maxim}}, {{l|en|paroemia}}, {{l|en|saw}}, {{l|en|saying}}, {{l|en|sententia}}
* See also [[Thesaurus:saying]]

====Derived terms====
{{rel-top3|Terms derived from "proverb"}}
* {{l|en|apologetic proverb}}
* {{l|en|proverbial}}
* {{l|en|proverbiology}}
* {{l|en|Proverbs}}
* {{l|en|proverbs hunt in pairs}}
{{rel-bottom}}

====Translations====
{{trans-top|phrase expressing a basic truth}}
* Albanian: {{t+|sq|thënie|f}}, {{t+|sq|proverb|m}}
* Arabic: {{t+|ar|مَثَل|m}}, {{t|ar|حِكْمَة|f}}, {{t|ar|مَقَال|m}}, {{t|ar|ضَرْب مَثَل|m}}, {{t|ar|ضَرْبُ الْمَثَل|m}} {{qualifier|definite}}
* Armenian: {{t+|hy|առած}}, {{t+|hy|ասացվածք}}
* Asturian: {{t|ast|proverbiu|m}}
* Azerbaijani: {{t|az|məsəl}}, {{t|az|atasözü}}, {{t|az|atalar sözü}}
* Bashkir: {{t|ba|мәҡәл}}, {{t|ba|әйтем}}
* Basque: {{t|eu|atsotitz}}
* Belarusian: {{t|be|пры́казка|f}}, {{t|be|прысло́ўе|n}}
* Bengali: {{t+|bn|প্রবাদ}}
* Breton: {{t+|br|krennlavar|m}}
* Bulgarian: {{t+|bg|посло́вица|f}}, {{t+|bg|погово́рка|f}}
* Burmese: {{t+|my|စကားပုံ}}, {{t+|my|ဆိုထုံး}}
* Catalan: {{t+|ca|proverbi|m}}, {{t+|ca|dita|f}}, {{t+|ca|refrany|m}}, {{t+|ca|parèmia|f}}
* Chakma: {{t|ccp|𑄓𑄊𑄧𑄇𑄧𑄙|tr=ḍāghakadhā}}
* Chechen: {{t|ce|кица}}
* Chichewa: {{t|ny|mwambi}}
* Chinese:
*: Cantonese: {{t|yue|箴言|tr=zam1 jin4}}, {{t|yue|諺語|tr=jin6 jyu5}}
*: Mandarin: {{t+|cmn|箴言|tr=zhēnyán}}, {{t+|cmn|諺語|tr=yànyǔ}}
* Czech: {{t+|cs|přísloví|n}}
* Danish: {{t|da|ordsprog|n}}
* Dutch: {{t+|nl|spreekwoord|n}}, {{t+|nl|gezegde|n}}
* Esperanto: {{t+|eo|proverbo}}, {{t|eo|sentenco}}
* Estonian: {{t|et|vanasõna}}
* Faroese: {{t|fo|orðtak|n}}, {{t|fo|orðatak|n}}
* Finnish: {{t+|fi|sananlasku}}, {{t+|fi|sanonta}}
* French: {{t+|fr|proverbe|m}}
* Galician: {{t|gl|proverbio|m}}, {{t+|gl|refrán|m}}, {{t+|gl|verbo|m}}
* Georgian: {{t|ka|ანდაზა}}
* German: {{t+|de|Sprichwort|n}}, {{t|de|Denkspruch|m}}, {{t+|de|Redensart|f}}; {{t|de|Proverb|n}} {{qualifier|obsolete}}
* Gothic: {{t|got|𐌲𐌰𐌾𐌿𐌺𐍉|f}}
* Greek: {{t+|el|παροιμία|f}}
*: Ancient: {{t|grc|παροιμία|f}}
* Greenlandic: {{t|kl|ussat}}
* Gujarati: {{t|gu|કહેવત|f}}
* Haitian Creole: {{t|ht|provèb}}
* Hebrew: {{t+|he|פִּתְגָּם|m|tr=pitgám}}
* Hindi: {{t+|hi|कहावत|f}}, {{t+|hi|मसल|f}}, {{t+|hi|लोकोक्ति|f}}, {{t|hi|ज़र्ब-उल-मसल|f}}
* Hungarian: {{t+|hu|közmondás}}
* Icelandic: {{t+|is|málsháttur|m}}, {{t|is|orðskviður|m}}
* Ido: {{t+|io|proverbo}}
* Indonesian: {{t+|id|peribahasa}}
* Ingrian: {{t|izh|sananverto}}
* Irish: {{t|ga|seanfhocal|m}}
* Italian: {{t+|it|proverbio|m}}
* Ivatan: {{t|ivv|pananahan}}
* Japanese: {{t+|ja|諺|tr=ことわざ, kotowaza}}, {{t+|ja|格言|tr=かくげん, kakugen}}
* Kazakh: {{t|kk|мақал}}
* Khmer: {{t+|km|សុភាសិត}}
* Korean: {{t+|ko|속담(俗談)}}, {{t+|ko|격언(格言)}}
* Kurdish:
*: Northern Kurdish: {{t+|kmr|gotinên pêşiyan}}, {{t+|kmr|gotina mezinan}}
* Kyrgyz: {{t|ky|макал}}
* Lao: {{t|lo|ພາສິດ}}, {{t|lo|ສຸພາສິດ}}
* Latin: {{t|la|adagiō|f}}, {{t|la|adagium|n}}, {{t|la|paroemia|f}}, {{t|la|proverbium|n}}, {{t|la|sententia|f}}
* Latvian: {{t+|lv|sakāmvārds|m}}, {{t+|lv|paruna|f}}
* Lithuanian: {{t|lt|patarlė|f}}
* Low German: {{t|nds|Snacks}}
*: German Low German: {{t+|nds-de|Spriekel|n}} {{qualifier|Vest Recklinghausen}}
* Luxembourgish: {{t|lb|Sprachwuert|n}}
* Macedonian: {{t|mk|поговорка|f}}, {{t|mk|изрека|f}}, {{t|mk|пословица|f}}
* Malay: {{t+|ms|peribahasa}}
* Malayalam: {{t+|ml|പഴഞ്ചൊല്ല്}}, {{t+|ml|പഴമൊഴി}}
* Maltese: {{t|mt|qawl|m}}
* Maori: {{t|mi|rārangi whakataukī}}
* Marwari: {{t|mwr|कैवत}}
* Mongolian:
*: Cyrillic: {{t|mn|зүйр цэцэн үг}}, {{t|mn|зүйр үг}}
* Norwegian:
*: Bokmål: {{t+|nb|ordtak|n}}
*: Nynorsk: {{t|nn|ordtak|n}}
* Old English: {{t|ang|biword|n}}
* Oromo: {{t|om|mammaaksa}}
* Ossetian: {{t|os|ӕмбисонд}}
* Pashto: {{t|ps|متل|m|tr=matál}}, {{t|ps|مثل|m|tr=masál}}, {{t|ps|ضرب المثل|m|tr=zarbo l-masal}}
* Persian:
*: Dari: {{t+|prs|مَثَل}}, {{t+|prs|مَقَال}}, {{t+|prs|ضَرْبُ الْمَثَل}}
*: Iranian Persian: {{t+|fa-ira|مَثَل}}, {{t+|fa-ira|مَقال}}, {{t+|fa-ira|ضَرْبُ الْمَثَل}}
* Polish: {{t+|pl|przysłowie|n}}
* Portuguese: {{t+|pt|provérbio|m}}
* Romanian: {{t+|ro|proverb|n}}, {{t+|ro|proverbe|n-p}}
* Russian: {{t+|ru|посло́вица|f}}, {{t+|ru|погово́рка|f}}, {{t+|ru|при́сказка|f}}
* Scottish Gaelic: {{t|gd|seanfhacal|m}}, {{t|gd|gnàth-fhacal|m}}
* Serbo-Croatian:
*: Cyrillic: {{t|sh|по̀словица|f}}
*: Roman: {{t+|sh|pòslovica|f}}
* Slovak: {{t|sk|príslovie|n}}
* Slovene: {{t+|sl|pregovor|m}}
* Spanish: {{t+|es|proverbio|m}}, {{t+|es|refrán|m}}, {{t+|es|paremia|f}}, {{t|es|retraher|m}}
* Swahili: {{t+|sw|methali}}
* Swedish: {{t+|sv|ordspråk|n}}
* Tagalog: {{t|tl|salawikain}}
* Tajik: {{t|tg|масал}}, {{t|tg|мақол}}, {{t|tg|зарбулмасал}}
* Tamil: {{t+|ta|பழமொழி}}
* Tatar: {{t+|tt|мәкаль}}
* Telugu: {{t+|te|నానుడి}}, {{t+|te|సామెత}}, {{t+|te|లోకోక్తి}}
* Thai: {{t+|th|ภาษิต}}, {{t+|th|สุภาษิต}}
* Tibetan: {{t|bo|གཏམ་དཔེ།}}
* Turkish: {{t+|tr|atasözü}}, {{t+|tr|darbımesel}}
* Turkmen: {{t|tk|atalar sözi}}, {{t|tk|nakyl}}
* Ukrainian: {{t+|uk|прислі́в'я|n}}, {{t|uk|при́казка|f}}
* Urdu: {{t|ur|مَثَل|f}}, {{t|ur|کَہاوَت|f}}, {{t|ur|ضَرْبُ الْمَثَل|f|tr=zarbu l-masal}}
* Uyghur: {{t|ug|ھېكمەت}}, {{t|ug|ماقال}}
* Uzbek: {{t+|uz|maqol}}, {{t+|uz|masal}}, {{t+|uz|zarbulmasal}}
* Vietnamese: {{t+|vi|tục ngữ}} ({{t|vi|俗語}})
* Volapük: {{t+|vo|spiket}}, {{qualifier|older term}} {{t|vo|pükedavöd}}
* Welsh: {{t+|cy|dihareb|f}}
* Yiddish: {{t+|yi|שפּריכוואָרט|n}}, {{t|yi|וועלטסווערטל|n}}, {{t|yi|פֿאָלקסווערטל|n}}
{{trans-bottom}}

===Verb===
{{en-verb}}

# To write or utter proverbs.
# To name in, or as, a proverb.
#* {{quote-text|en|year=1671|author=John Milton|title=Samson Agonistes|lines=203–205
|passage=Am I not sung and '''proverbed''' for a fool / In every street, do they not say, "How well / Are come upon him his deserts?"}}
# To provide with a proverb.
#* {{RQ:Shakespeare Romeo and Juliet|I|iv|passage=I am '''proverbed''' with a grandsire phrase.}}

{{Webster 1913}}

===See also===
* [[:Category:English proverbs]]

===References===
* {{pedia}}
* {{R:OneLook}}

==Romanian==

===Etymology===
{{bor+|ro|la|proverbium}}, {{bor|ro|fr|proverbe}}.

===Pronunciation===
* {{IPA|ro|/proˈverb/}}

===Noun===
{{ro-noun|n|e}}

# [[saying]], {{l|en|proverb}}, [[maxim]]
#: {{syn|ro|parimie|zicală|zicătoare}}
# {{lb|ro|dated}} {{l|en|proverb}} {{gloss|drama exemplifying a proverb}}

====Declension====
{{ro-noun-n}}

===Further reading===
* {{R:DEX}}