« All Word Quotes · Ambrose Bierce's Page
Word Quotes by Ambrose Bierce
- OWE, v. To have (and to hold) a debt. The word formerly signified not indebtedness, but possession; it meant "own," and in the minds of…
- KISS, n. A word invented by the poets as a rhyme for "bliss." It is supposed to signify, in a general way, some kind of…
- ART, n. This word has no definition. Its origin is related by the ingenious Father Gassalasca Jape as "One day a wag - what would…
- MISCREANT, n. A person of the highest degree of unworth. Etymologically, the word means unbeliever, and its present signification may be regarded as theology's noblest…
- MONARCH, n. A person engaged in reigning. Formerly the monarch ruled, as the derivation of the word attests, and as many subjects have had occasion…
- FINANCE, n. The art or science of managing revenues and resources for the best advantage of the manager. The pronunciation of this word with the…
- GENEROUS, adj. Originally this word meant noble by birth and was rightly applied to a great multitude of persons. It now means noble by nature…
- PALMISTRY, n. The 947th method . . . of obtaining money by false pretences [by] "reading character" in the wrinkles [of] the hand. The pretence…
- OBSOLETE, adj. No longer used by the timid. Said chiefly of words. A word which some lexicographer has marked obsolete is ever thereafter an object…
- TEDIUM, n. Ennui, the state or condition of one that is bored. Many fanciful derivations of the word have been affirmed, but so high an…
- YANKEE, n. In Europe, an American. In the Northern States of our Union, a New Englander. In the Southern States the word is unknown.
- art, n. This word has no definition.
- The bold and discerning writer who, recognizing the truth that language must grow by innovation if it grow at all, makes new words and uses…
- Hash, x. There is no definition for this word - nobody knows what hash is. Famous, adj. Conspicuously miserable. Dictionary, n. A malevolent literary device…
- Idiot - A member of a large and powerful tribe whose influence in human affairs has always been dominant and controlling. The Idiot's activity is…
- Kiss. n. A word invented by the poets as a rhyme for "bliss".
- RIBROASTER, n. Censorious language by oneself concerning another. The word is of classical refinement, and is even said to have been used in a fable…
- ARISTOCRACY, n. Government by the best men. (In this sense the word is obsolete; so is that kind of government.) Fellows that wear downy hats…
- PALMISTRY, n. The 947th method (according to Mimbleshaw's classification) of obtaining money by false pretences. It consists in reading character in the wrinkles made by…
- BAAL, n. An old deity formerly much worshiped under various names. As Baal he was popular with the Phoenicians; as Belus or Bel he had…
- LOSS, n. Privation of that which we had, or had not. Thus, in the latter sense, it is said of a defeated candidate that he…
- LEONINE, adj. Unlike a menagerie lion. Leonine verses are those in which a word in the middle of a line rhymes with a word at…
More Word Quotes
- The thing is, acoustic could be like a four-letter word to a lot of kids. — Billie Joe Armstrong
- In the holy city of Mecca, violence of any kind was forbidden. From the moment they left home, pilgrims were not permitted… — Karen Armstrong
- When we speak the word 'life,' it must be understood we are not referring to life as we know it from its… — Antonin Artaud
- I prefer the word 'homemaker' because 'housewife' always implies that there may be a wife someplace else. — Bella Abzug
- A word after a word after a word is power. — Margaret Atwood
- If I waited for perfection... I would never write a word. — Margaret Atwood
- I think an artist, in my definition of that word, would not be someone who takes sides with the emperor against his… — Chinua Achebe
- India of the ages is not dead nor has she spoken her last creative word; she lives and has still something to… — Sri Aurobindo
- I guess the toughest things in translations are word play, which can never be reproduced exactly. — Paul Auster
- The reason is that till date, in spite of advances in information technology and strategies of information, the written word in the… — Ibrahim Babangida
- I'm a total Democrat. I'm anti-Republican. And it's only fair that you know it... I'm liberal. The L word! — Lauren Bacall
- A synonym is a word you use when you can't spell the word you first thought of. — Burt Bacharach