Saying

Saying
Say Say, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Said} (s[e^]d), contracted from sayed; p. pr. & vb. n. {Saying}.] [OE. seggen, seyen, siggen, sayen, sayn, AS. secgan; akin to OS. seggian, D. zeggen, LG. seggen, OHG. sag[=e]n, G. sagen, Icel. segja, Sw. s["a]ga, Dan. sige, Lith. sakyti; cf. OL. insece tell, relate, Gr. 'e`nnepe (for 'en-sepe), 'e`spete. Cf. {Saga}, {Saw} a saying.] 1. To utter or express in words; to tell; to speak; to declare; as, he said many wise things. [1913 Webster]

Arise, and say how thou camest here. --Shak. [1913 Webster]

2. To repeat; to rehearse; to recite; to pronounce; as, to say a lesson. [1913 Webster]

Of my instruction hast thou nothing bated In what thou hadst to say? --Shak. [1913 Webster]

After which shall be said or sung the following hymn. --Bk. of Com. Prayer. [1913 Webster]

3. To announce as a decision or opinion; to state positively; to assert; hence, to form an opinion upon; to be sure about; to be determined in mind as to. [1913 Webster]

But what it is, hard is to say. --Milton. [1913 Webster]

4. To mention or suggest as an estimate, hypothesis, or approximation; hence, to suppose; -- in the imperative, followed sometimes by the subjunctive; as, he had, say fifty thousand dollars; the fox had run, say ten miles. [1913 Webster]

Say, for nonpayment that the debt should double, Is twenty hundred kisses such a trouble? --Shak. [1913 Webster]

{It is said}, or {They say}, it is commonly reported; it is rumored; people assert or maintain.

{That is to say}, that is; in other words; otherwise. [1913 Webster]


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.

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  • saying — saying, saw, adage, proverb, maxim, motto, epigram, aphorism, apothegm can all denote a sententious expression of a general truth. A saying is a brief current or habitual expression that may be anonymous, traditional, or attributable to a… …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • saying — [sā′iŋ] n. 1. the act of one who says 2. something said; esp., an adage, proverb, or maxim SYN. SAYINGSAYING is the simple, direct term for any pithy expression of wisdom or truth; a SAW2 is an old, homely saying that is well worn by repetition… …   English World dictionary

  • saying — (n.) utterance, recitation, act of the verb say, c.1300, verbal noun from SAY (Cf. say) (v.); meaning something that has been said (usually by someone thought important) is from c.1300; sense of a proverb is first attested mid 15c. Ça va sans… …   Etymology dictionary

  • Saying — Say ing, n. That which is said; a declaration; a statement, especially a proverbial one; an aphorism; a proverb. [1913 Webster] Many are the sayings of the wise, In ancient and in modern books enrolled. Milton. [1913 Webster] Syn: Declaration;… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • saying — index catchword, expression (comment), maxim, phrase, remark Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 …   Law dictionary

  • saying — [n] maxim, proverb adage, aphorism, apophthegm, axiom, byword, dictum, epigram, motto, precept, saw, statement, truism; concept 278 …   New thesaurus

  • saying — ► NOUN ▪ a short, commonly known expression containing advice or wisdom …   English terms dictionary

  • Saying — A saying is something that is said, notable in one respect or another, to be a pithy expression of wisdom or truth. [1] There are a number of specific types of saying: Apothegm. “…an edgy, more cynical aphorism; such as, ‘Men are generally more… …   Wikipedia

  • saying — Synonyms and related words: Parthian shot, adage, address, affirmance, affirmation, allegation, ana, analects, announcement, annunciation, answer, aphorism, apostrophe, apothegm, assertion, asseveration, averment, avouchment, avowal, axiom,… …   Moby Thesaurus

  • saying */*/ — UK [ˈseɪɪŋ] / US noun [countable] Word forms saying : singular saying plural sayings a well known statement about what often happens in life Tomorrow s another day, she said, repeating one of her many sayings. as the saying goes (= according to… …   English dictionary

  • saying — noun ADJECTIVE ▪ common, famous, popular, well known ▪ old, traditional ▪ wise ▪ favourite/favorite …   Collocations dictionary

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