1.An old and common saying; a phrase which is often repeated; especially, a sentence which briefly and forcibly expresses some practical truth, or the result of experience and observation; a maxim; a saw; an adage.
2.A striking or paradoxical assertion; an obscure saying; an enigma; a parable. "His disciples said unto him, Lo, now speakest thou plainly, and speakest no proverb."
3.A familiar illustration; a subject of contemptuous reference. "Thou shalt become an astonishment, a proverb, and a by word, among all nations."
4.A drama exemplifying a proverb.
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