- Pronunciation (OED)
- British /ˈaksiəm/(AK-see-uhm)|U.S. /ˈæksiəm/(AK-see-uhm)
- Etymology
- A borrowing from French. Etymons: French axiome. Further from Latin axiōma, Ancient Greek ἀξίωμα (axiōma).
- Prefix Axi-
- Axi-: From Greek ἄξιος (axios). Meaning "worthy, fitting, of equal weight."
- Suffix -om
- -om: Greek -μα (-ma). Suffix forming abstract nouns. Denotes result or object. Noun as the result of ἀξιόω (axióō, to deem worthy).
- Origin
- Ancient Greek ἀξίωμα (axiōma)
- Meaning
- From ἀξιόω (axióō) "to deem worthy." Meaning "self-evident truth," "proposition worthy of assertion."
- Earliest use
- First attested 1578 in John Lyly (OED).
- Definition
- A proposition accepted as true without proof. A foundational claim from which an axiomatic system proceeds.