What is the definition of epigram?
The definition of epigram is a concise and witty statement or poem in which a single subject is addressed, often ending with an unexpected twist.
Epigram
Last Updated on September 12, 2022, by eNotes Editorial. Word Count: 85
An epigram is a concise and witty statement or poem in which a single subject is addressed, often ending with an unexpected twist.
Writing an essay?
Get a custom outline
Our Essay Lab can help you tackle any essay assignment within seconds, whether you’re studying Macbeth or the American Revolution. Try it today!
Epigram originates from the Greek word epigramma, from epigraphein, meaning “to inscribe,” composed of epi (“upon”) and graphein (“to write”).
See eNotes Ad-Free
Start your 48-hour free trial to get access to more than 30,000 additional guides and more than 350,000 Homework Help questions answered by our experts.
Already a member? Log in here.
Consider Sir Henry Wotton’s (1568–1639) epigrammatic couplet “Upon the death of Sir Albert Morton’s Wife”:
He first deceas’d: She for a little tri’d
To live without Him: lik’d it not, and di’d.
see: antithesis, aphorism, epithet, proverb
See eNotes Ad-Free
Start your 48-hour free trial to get access to more than 30,000 additional guides and more than 350,000 Homework Help questions answered by our experts.
Already a member? Log in here.