noun. A short, witty poem expressing a single thought or observation.

noun. A concise, clever, often paradoxical statement.

noun. Epigrammatic discourse or expression.

noun. In Gr. lit., a poetical inscription placed upon a tomb or public monument, as upon the face of a temple or public arch.

noun. Hence In a restricted sense, a short poem or piece in verse, which has only one subject, and finishes by a witty or ingenious turn of thought; hence, in a general sense, an interesting thought represented happily in a few words, whether verse or prose; a pointed or antithetical saying.

noun. A short poem treating concisely and pointedly of a single thought or event. The modern epigram is so contrived as to surprise the reader with a witticism or ingenious turn of thought, and is often satirical in character.

noun. An effusion of wit; a bright thought tersely and sharply expressed, whether in verse or prose.

noun. The style of the epigram.

noun. An inscription in stone.

noun. A brief but witty saying.

noun. A short, witty or pithy poem.

noun. a witty saying

"To see the name of John Milton, the great religious and political polemicist, attached to such a bawdy epigram, is extremely surprising to say the least."