paroemia

Figure Name paroemia
Source Silva Rhetoricae (http://humanities.byu.edu/rhetoric/Silva.htm); Aristotle 3.11.14; Bede 616; Melanch. IR C3r ("paroemia" "adagium"); Susenbrotus (1540) 14; Sherry (1550) 45 ("paremia," "adagium"); Peacham (1577) D2v; Putt. (1589) 199 ("parimia," "proverb"); Day 1599 80 ("paroemia," "adage"); JG Smith (1665) ("paroemia"); Holmes (1806) ("paroemia"); Bullinger (1898) ("paroemia; or, proverb")
Earliest Source None
Synonyms paremia, parimia, adagium, adage, proverb
Etymology from Gk. para, "by" and oimos, "way" ("by word")
Type Trope
Linguistic Domain Semantic
Syntactic
Definition

1. One of several terms describing short, pithy sayings. (Silva Rhetoricae)

2. A Proverbial speech, &c. It is the continuation of a trope in a speech when proper and peculiar respect is had to the common use, &c.; Paroemia, [paroimia] proverbium, adagium, vulgare dictum: A Proverbial speech or Proverb, applyed to things and times; derived from [paroimiazomai] proverbialiter loquor, to speak Proverbially or in Proverbs. This form of speech is a kinde of an Allegory, or the continuation of a Trope in a speech in specie, wherein a respect is had to the common use, and so it is called a Proverb: or as others define it, It is a comparative speech or similitude which is wont to be in Proverbs, or (as it were) a sentence bearing rule, as having the chief place in a sentence, and by its gravity rendering the same more illustrious, clear and excellent. (JG Smith)

3. Paroemia by a proverb tries to teach A short, instructing, and a nervous speech. (Holmes)

4. A wayside-saying in common use... Like Parable, Paroemia is used in the Septuagint Version to translate the Hebrew word mahshal. Now this noun mahshal belongs to the verb mahshal, which means "to rule, control, to have, or exercise control." (Bullinger, 746)

Example

1. Returning like a dog to his vomit. (Silva Rhetoricae)

2. He that makes his fire with hay, hath much smoke and little heat:

Whereby is intimated, That many words and little matter render men weary, but never the wiser.

All are not thieves that dogs bark at:

Declaring that ill tongues do as well slander good men, as speak truth of the evil.

The sweetest Rose hath his Thorn:

Whereby is signified that the best man is not without his fault.

Many drops pierce the Marble stone:

Declaring the excellency of constancy and perseverance in a good matter. (JG Smith)

3. You wash the Black-moor white, i.e. you labour in vain. (Holmes)

4. Gen. 10:9. -"He was a mighty hunter before the LORD: wherefore it is said, 'Like Nimrod a mighty hunter before the LORD' " (R.V.) (Bullinger, 747)

Kind Of Similarity
Part Of
Related Figures adage, apothegm, gnome, maxim, proverb, sententia, allegory
Notes Not sure that 'type of' is applicable in this case. Added Similiarity as Type Of - Nike
Confidence Unconfident
Last Editor Ioanna Malton
Confidence Unconfident
Editorial Notes Changed type from Scheme to Trope - Nike
Reviewed No