"proverbial" meaning in English

See proverbial in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Adjective

IPA: /pɹəˈvɜɹb.iː.əl/ [UK] Audio: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-proverbial.wav Forms: more proverbial [comparative], most proverbial [superlative]
Etymology: From Latin prōverbiālis. Equivalent to proverb + -ial Etymology templates: {{uder|en|la|prōverbiālis}} Latin prōverbiālis, {{suffix|en|proverb|ial}} proverb + -ial Head templates: {{en-adj}} proverbial (comparative more proverbial, superlative most proverbial)
  1. Of, resembling, or expressed as a proverb, cliché, fable, or fairy tale. Translations (of a proverb): пословичен (poslovičen) (Bulgarian), příslovečný [masculine] (Czech), proverba (Esperanto), sananlaskumainen (Finnish), proverbial (French), sprichwörtlich (German), proverbial (German), παροιμιακός (paroimiakós) (Greek), proverbiale (Italian), prōverbiālis (Latin), proverbial (Portuguese), провербиа́льный (proverbiálʹnyj) (Russian), посло́вичный (poslóvičnyj) (Russian), proverbial (Spanish), провербіа́льний (proverbiálʹnyj) [masculine] (Ukrainian), diarhebol (Welsh)
    Sense id: en-proverbial-en-adj-xQz5IxUy Disambiguation of 'of a proverb': 89 5 6
  2. Not used in a literal sense, but as the subject of a well-known metaphor.
    Sense id: en-proverbial-en-adj-8-nYOURX Categories (other): English entries with incorrect language header, English terms suffixed with -ial, English undefined derivations, Entries with translation boxes, Pages with 5 entries, Pages with entries, Terms with Bulgarian translations, Terms with Czech translations, Terms with Danish translations, Terms with Esperanto translations, Terms with Finnish translations, Terms with French translations, Terms with German translations, Terms with Greek translations, Terms with Italian translations, Terms with Latin translations, Terms with Portuguese translations, Terms with Russian translations, Terms with Spanish translations, Terms with Swedish translations, Terms with Ukrainian translations, Terms with Welsh translations Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 7 55 7 25 5 Disambiguation of English terms suffixed with -ial: 11 42 10 26 11 Disambiguation of English undefined derivations: 10 49 9 25 8 Disambiguation of Entries with translation boxes: 10 50 11 21 9 Disambiguation of Pages with 5 entries: 7 61 8 17 7 Disambiguation of Pages with entries: 6 70 6 13 6 Disambiguation of Terms with Bulgarian translations: 9 56 9 21 6 Disambiguation of Terms with Czech translations: 14 55 9 16 6 Disambiguation of Terms with Danish translations: 7 67 6 16 4 Disambiguation of Terms with Esperanto translations: 6 65 7 16 6 Disambiguation of Terms with Finnish translations: 9 57 9 18 6 Disambiguation of Terms with French translations: 8 54 9 21 8 Disambiguation of Terms with German translations: 10 55 10 19 6 Disambiguation of Terms with Greek translations: 10 49 11 21 9 Disambiguation of Terms with Italian translations: 7 62 7 17 7 Disambiguation of Terms with Latin translations: 7 62 7 17 7 Disambiguation of Terms with Portuguese translations: 8 61 8 17 5 Disambiguation of Terms with Russian translations: 7 62 7 17 7 Disambiguation of Terms with Spanish translations: 7 62 8 17 7 Disambiguation of Terms with Swedish translations: 8 61 8 18 5 Disambiguation of Terms with Ukrainian translations: 9 59 9 18 6 Disambiguation of Terms with Welsh translations: 8 54 9 20 8
  3. Widely known; famous; stereotypical. Translations (widely known; famous): общоизвестен (obštoizvesten) (Bulgarian), almenkendt (Danish), proverba (Esperanto), tunnettu (Finnish), maankuulu (Finnish), kuuluisa (Finnish), proverbial (French), sprichwörtlich (German), παροιμιώδης (paroimiódis) (Greek), proverbiale (Italian), proverbial (Portuguese), общеизве́стный (obščeizvéstnyj) (Russian), преслову́тый (preslovútyj) (Russian), провербиа́льный (proverbiálʹnyj) (Russian), proverbial (Spanish), allmänt känd (Swedish)
    Sense id: en-proverbial-en-adj-wwTg4US- Disambiguation of 'widely known; famous': 2 9 89
The following are not (yet) sense-disambiguated
Derived forms: proverbialise, proverbialism, proverbialist, proverbiality, proverbialize, proverbially, proverbialness, the proverbial dog that caught the car, unproverbial, up the proverbial

Noun

IPA: /pɹəˈvɜɹb.iː.əl/ [UK] Audio: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-proverbial.wav Forms: proverbials [plural]
Etymology: From Latin prōverbiālis. Equivalent to proverb + -ial Etymology templates: {{uder|en|la|prōverbiālis}} Latin prōverbiālis, {{suffix|en|proverb|ial}} proverb + -ial Head templates: {{en-noun}} proverbial (plural proverbials)
  1. (euphemistic) Used to replace a word that might be considered unacceptable in a particular situation, when using a well-known phrase. Tags: euphemistic
    Sense id: en-proverbial-en-noun-QhxX~1kk Categories (other): English euphemisms
  2. (euphemistic, in the plural) The groin or the testicles. Tags: euphemistic, in-plural Translations (groin): sukukalleudet [plural] (Finnish)
    Sense id: en-proverbial-en-noun-v11C2wXU Categories (other): English euphemisms Disambiguation of 'groin': 18 82

Inflected forms

{
  "derived": [
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0 0",
      "word": "proverbialise"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0 0",
      "word": "proverbialism"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0 0",
      "word": "proverbialist"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0 0",
      "word": "proverbiality"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0 0",
      "word": "proverbialize"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0 0",
      "word": "proverbially"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0 0",
      "word": "proverbialness"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0 0",
      "word": "the proverbial dog that caught the car"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0 0",
      "word": "unproverbial"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0 0",
      "word": "up the proverbial"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "prōverbiālis"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin prōverbiālis",
      "name": "uder"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "proverb",
        "3": "ial"
      },
      "expansion": "proverb + -ial",
      "name": "suffix"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "From Latin prōverbiālis. Equivalent to proverb + -ial",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "more proverbial",
      "tags": [
        "comparative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "most proverbial",
      "tags": [
        "superlative"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "proverbial (comparative more proverbial, superlative most proverbial)",
      "name": "en-adj"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "adj",
  "senses": [
    {
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1947, Miracle on 34th Street (transcript)",
          "text": "Doris: You're making me feel like the proverbial stepmother."
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Of, resembling, or expressed as a proverb, cliché, fable, or fairy tale."
      ],
      "id": "en-proverbial-en-adj-xQz5IxUy",
      "links": [
        [
          "proverb",
          "proverb"
        ],
        [
          "cliché",
          "cliché"
        ],
        [
          "fable",
          "fable"
        ],
        [
          "fairy tale",
          "fairy tale"
        ]
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "_dis1": "89 5 6",
          "code": "bg",
          "lang": "Bulgarian",
          "roman": "poslovičen",
          "sense": "of a proverb",
          "word": "пословичен"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "89 5 6",
          "code": "cs",
          "lang": "Czech",
          "sense": "of a proverb",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "příslovečný"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "89 5 6",
          "code": "eo",
          "lang": "Esperanto",
          "sense": "of a proverb",
          "word": "proverba"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "89 5 6",
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "of a proverb",
          "word": "sananlaskumainen"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "89 5 6",
          "code": "fr",
          "lang": "French",
          "sense": "of a proverb",
          "word": "proverbial"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "89 5 6",
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "sense": "of a proverb",
          "word": "sprichwörtlich"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "89 5 6",
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "sense": "of a proverb",
          "word": "proverbial"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "89 5 6",
          "code": "el",
          "lang": "Greek",
          "roman": "paroimiakós",
          "sense": "of a proverb",
          "word": "παροιμιακός"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "89 5 6",
          "code": "it",
          "lang": "Italian",
          "sense": "of a proverb",
          "word": "proverbiale"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "89 5 6",
          "code": "la",
          "lang": "Latin",
          "sense": "of a proverb",
          "word": "prōverbiālis"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "89 5 6",
          "code": "pt",
          "lang": "Portuguese",
          "sense": "of a proverb",
          "word": "proverbial"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "89 5 6",
          "code": "ru",
          "lang": "Russian",
          "roman": "proverbiálʹnyj",
          "sense": "of a proverb",
          "word": "провербиа́льный"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "89 5 6",
          "code": "ru",
          "lang": "Russian",
          "roman": "poslóvičnyj",
          "sense": "of a proverb",
          "word": "посло́вичный"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "89 5 6",
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "sense": "of a proverb",
          "word": "proverbial"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "89 5 6",
          "code": "uk",
          "lang": "Ukrainian",
          "roman": "proverbiálʹnyj",
          "sense": "of a proverb",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "провербіа́льний"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "89 5 6",
          "code": "cy",
          "lang": "Welsh",
          "sense": "of a proverb",
          "word": "diarhebol"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "7 55 7 25 5",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "11 42 10 26 11",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English terms suffixed with -ial",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "10 49 9 25 8",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English undefined derivations",
          "parents": [
            "Undefined derivations",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "10 50 11 21 9",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Entries with translation boxes",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "7 61 8 17 7",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with 5 entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "6 70 6 13 6",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "9 56 9 21 6",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Bulgarian translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "14 55 9 16 6",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Czech translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "7 67 6 16 4",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Danish translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "6 65 7 16 6",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Esperanto translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "9 57 9 18 6",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Finnish translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "8 54 9 21 8",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with French translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "10 55 10 19 6",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with German translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "10 49 11 21 9",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Greek translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "7 62 7 17 7",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Italian translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "7 62 7 17 7",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Latin translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "8 61 8 17 5",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Portuguese translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "7 62 7 17 7",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Russian translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "7 62 8 17 7",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Spanish translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "8 61 8 18 5",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Swedish translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "9 59 9 18 6",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Ukrainian translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "8 54 9 20 8",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Welsh translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "the proverbial smoking gun",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "text": "proverbial spilled milk",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "text": "The visit was a warning shot across our proverbial bows",
          "type": "example"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Not used in a literal sense, but as the subject of a well-known metaphor."
      ],
      "id": "en-proverbial-en-adj-8-nYOURX",
      "links": [
        [
          "literal",
          "literal"
        ],
        [
          "metaphor",
          "metaphor"
        ]
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "I grew up in a prefab house on Main Street in 1950s suburbia, the second and last child of a proverbial nuclear family.",
          "type": "example"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Widely known; famous; stereotypical."
      ],
      "id": "en-proverbial-en-adj-wwTg4US-",
      "links": [
        [
          "known",
          "known"
        ],
        [
          "famous",
          "famous"
        ],
        [
          "stereotypical",
          "stereotypical"
        ]
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "_dis1": "2 9 89",
          "code": "bg",
          "lang": "Bulgarian",
          "roman": "obštoizvesten",
          "sense": "widely known; famous",
          "word": "общоизвестен"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "2 9 89",
          "code": "da",
          "lang": "Danish",
          "sense": "widely known; famous",
          "word": "almenkendt"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "2 9 89",
          "code": "eo",
          "lang": "Esperanto",
          "sense": "widely known; famous",
          "word": "proverba"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "2 9 89",
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "widely known; famous",
          "word": "tunnettu"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "2 9 89",
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "widely known; famous",
          "word": "maankuulu"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "2 9 89",
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "widely known; famous",
          "word": "kuuluisa"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "2 9 89",
          "code": "fr",
          "lang": "French",
          "sense": "widely known; famous",
          "word": "proverbial"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "2 9 89",
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "sense": "widely known; famous",
          "word": "sprichwörtlich"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "2 9 89",
          "code": "el",
          "lang": "Greek",
          "roman": "paroimiódis",
          "sense": "widely known; famous",
          "word": "παροιμιώδης"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "2 9 89",
          "code": "it",
          "lang": "Italian",
          "sense": "widely known; famous",
          "word": "proverbiale"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "2 9 89",
          "code": "pt",
          "lang": "Portuguese",
          "sense": "widely known; famous",
          "word": "proverbial"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "2 9 89",
          "code": "ru",
          "lang": "Russian",
          "roman": "obščeizvéstnyj",
          "sense": "widely known; famous",
          "word": "общеизве́стный"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "2 9 89",
          "code": "ru",
          "lang": "Russian",
          "roman": "preslovútyj",
          "sense": "widely known; famous",
          "word": "преслову́тый"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "2 9 89",
          "code": "ru",
          "lang": "Russian",
          "roman": "proverbiálʹnyj",
          "sense": "widely known; famous",
          "word": "провербиа́льный"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "2 9 89",
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "sense": "widely known; famous",
          "word": "proverbial"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "2 9 89",
          "code": "sv",
          "lang": "Swedish",
          "sense": "widely known; famous",
          "word": "allmänt känd"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/pɹəˈvɜɹb.iː.əl/",
      "tags": [
        "UK"
      ]
    },
    {
      "audio": "LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-proverbial.wav",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/5/56/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-proverbial.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-proverbial.wav.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/5/56/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-proverbial.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-proverbial.wav.ogg"
    }
  ],
  "word": "proverbial"
}

{
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "prōverbiālis"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin prōverbiālis",
      "name": "uder"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "proverb",
        "3": "ial"
      },
      "expansion": "proverb + -ial",
      "name": "suffix"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "From Latin prōverbiālis. Equivalent to proverb + -ial",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "proverbials",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "proverbial (plural proverbials)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English euphemisms",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "I think we should be prepared in case the proverbial hits the fan."
        },
        {
          "text": "Are you taking the proverbial?"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Used to replace a word that might be considered unacceptable in a particular situation, when using a well-known phrase."
      ],
      "id": "en-proverbial-en-noun-QhxX~1kk",
      "links": [
        [
          "unacceptable",
          "unacceptable"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(euphemistic) Used to replace a word that might be considered unacceptable in a particular situation, when using a well-known phrase."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "euphemistic"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English euphemisms",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "You'll find they've got you by the proverbials.",
          "type": "example"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "The groin or the testicles."
      ],
      "id": "en-proverbial-en-noun-v11C2wXU",
      "links": [
        [
          "groin",
          "groin"
        ],
        [
          "testicle",
          "testicle"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(euphemistic, in the plural) The groin or the testicles."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "euphemistic",
        "in-plural"
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "_dis1": "18 82",
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "groin",
          "tags": [
            "plural"
          ],
          "word": "sukukalleudet"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/pɹəˈvɜɹb.iː.əl/",
      "tags": [
        "UK"
      ]
    },
    {
      "audio": "LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-proverbial.wav",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/5/56/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-proverbial.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-proverbial.wav.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/5/56/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-proverbial.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-proverbial.wav.ogg"
    }
  ],
  "word": "proverbial"
}
{
  "categories": [
    "English adjectives",
    "English countable nouns",
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English lemmas",
    "English nouns",
    "English terms derived from Latin",
    "English terms suffixed with -ial",
    "English undefined derivations",
    "Entries with translation boxes",
    "Pages with 5 entries",
    "Pages with entries",
    "Terms with Bulgarian translations",
    "Terms with Czech translations",
    "Terms with Danish translations",
    "Terms with Esperanto translations",
    "Terms with Finnish translations",
    "Terms with French translations",
    "Terms with German translations",
    "Terms with Greek translations",
    "Terms with Italian translations",
    "Terms with Latin translations",
    "Terms with Portuguese translations",
    "Terms with Russian translations",
    "Terms with Spanish translations",
    "Terms with Swedish translations",
    "Terms with Ukrainian translations",
    "Terms with Welsh translations"
  ],
  "derived": [
    {
      "word": "proverbialise"
    },
    {
      "word": "proverbialism"
    },
    {
      "word": "proverbialist"
    },
    {
      "word": "proverbiality"
    },
    {
      "word": "proverbialize"
    },
    {
      "word": "proverbially"
    },
    {
      "word": "proverbialness"
    },
    {
      "word": "the proverbial dog that caught the car"
    },
    {
      "word": "unproverbial"
    },
    {
      "word": "up the proverbial"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "prōverbiālis"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin prōverbiālis",
      "name": "uder"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "proverb",
        "3": "ial"
      },
      "expansion": "proverb + -ial",
      "name": "suffix"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "From Latin prōverbiālis. Equivalent to proverb + -ial",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "more proverbial",
      "tags": [
        "comparative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "most proverbial",
      "tags": [
        "superlative"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "proverbial (comparative more proverbial, superlative most proverbial)",
      "name": "en-adj"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "adj",
  "senses": [
    {
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1947, Miracle on 34th Street (transcript)",
          "text": "Doris: You're making me feel like the proverbial stepmother."
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Of, resembling, or expressed as a proverb, cliché, fable, or fairy tale."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "proverb",
          "proverb"
        ],
        [
          "cliché",
          "cliché"
        ],
        [
          "fable",
          "fable"
        ],
        [
          "fairy tale",
          "fairy tale"
        ]
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "English terms with usage examples"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "the proverbial smoking gun",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "text": "proverbial spilled milk",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "text": "The visit was a warning shot across our proverbial bows",
          "type": "example"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Not used in a literal sense, but as the subject of a well-known metaphor."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "literal",
          "literal"
        ],
        [
          "metaphor",
          "metaphor"
        ]
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "English terms with usage examples"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "I grew up in a prefab house on Main Street in 1950s suburbia, the second and last child of a proverbial nuclear family.",
          "type": "example"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Widely known; famous; stereotypical."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "known",
          "known"
        ],
        [
          "famous",
          "famous"
        ],
        [
          "stereotypical",
          "stereotypical"
        ]
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/pɹəˈvɜɹb.iː.əl/",
      "tags": [
        "UK"
      ]
    },
    {
      "audio": "LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-proverbial.wav",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/5/56/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-proverbial.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-proverbial.wav.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/5/56/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-proverbial.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-proverbial.wav.ogg"
    }
  ],
  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "bg",
      "lang": "Bulgarian",
      "roman": "poslovičen",
      "sense": "of a proverb",
      "word": "пословичен"
    },
    {
      "code": "cs",
      "lang": "Czech",
      "sense": "of a proverb",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "příslovečný"
    },
    {
      "code": "eo",
      "lang": "Esperanto",
      "sense": "of a proverb",
      "word": "proverba"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "of a proverb",
      "word": "sananlaskumainen"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "of a proverb",
      "word": "proverbial"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "of a proverb",
      "word": "sprichwörtlich"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "of a proverb",
      "word": "proverbial"
    },
    {
      "code": "el",
      "lang": "Greek",
      "roman": "paroimiakós",
      "sense": "of a proverb",
      "word": "παροιμιακός"
    },
    {
      "code": "it",
      "lang": "Italian",
      "sense": "of a proverb",
      "word": "proverbiale"
    },
    {
      "code": "la",
      "lang": "Latin",
      "sense": "of a proverb",
      "word": "prōverbiālis"
    },
    {
      "code": "pt",
      "lang": "Portuguese",
      "sense": "of a proverb",
      "word": "proverbial"
    },
    {
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "roman": "proverbiálʹnyj",
      "sense": "of a proverb",
      "word": "провербиа́льный"
    },
    {
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "roman": "poslóvičnyj",
      "sense": "of a proverb",
      "word": "посло́вичный"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "sense": "of a proverb",
      "word": "proverbial"
    },
    {
      "code": "uk",
      "lang": "Ukrainian",
      "roman": "proverbiálʹnyj",
      "sense": "of a proverb",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "провербіа́льний"
    },
    {
      "code": "cy",
      "lang": "Welsh",
      "sense": "of a proverb",
      "word": "diarhebol"
    },
    {
      "code": "bg",
      "lang": "Bulgarian",
      "roman": "obštoizvesten",
      "sense": "widely known; famous",
      "word": "общоизвестен"
    },
    {
      "code": "da",
      "lang": "Danish",
      "sense": "widely known; famous",
      "word": "almenkendt"
    },
    {
      "code": "eo",
      "lang": "Esperanto",
      "sense": "widely known; famous",
      "word": "proverba"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "widely known; famous",
      "word": "tunnettu"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "widely known; famous",
      "word": "maankuulu"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "widely known; famous",
      "word": "kuuluisa"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "widely known; famous",
      "word": "proverbial"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "widely known; famous",
      "word": "sprichwörtlich"
    },
    {
      "code": "el",
      "lang": "Greek",
      "roman": "paroimiódis",
      "sense": "widely known; famous",
      "word": "παροιμιώδης"
    },
    {
      "code": "it",
      "lang": "Italian",
      "sense": "widely known; famous",
      "word": "proverbiale"
    },
    {
      "code": "pt",
      "lang": "Portuguese",
      "sense": "widely known; famous",
      "word": "proverbial"
    },
    {
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "roman": "obščeizvéstnyj",
      "sense": "widely known; famous",
      "word": "общеизве́стный"
    },
    {
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "roman": "preslovútyj",
      "sense": "widely known; famous",
      "word": "преслову́тый"
    },
    {
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "roman": "proverbiálʹnyj",
      "sense": "widely known; famous",
      "word": "провербиа́льный"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "sense": "widely known; famous",
      "word": "proverbial"
    },
    {
      "code": "sv",
      "lang": "Swedish",
      "sense": "widely known; famous",
      "word": "allmänt känd"
    }
  ],
  "word": "proverbial"
}

{
  "categories": [
    "English adjectives",
    "English countable nouns",
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English lemmas",
    "English nouns",
    "English terms derived from Latin",
    "English terms suffixed with -ial",
    "English undefined derivations",
    "Entries with translation boxes",
    "Pages with 5 entries",
    "Pages with entries",
    "Terms with Bulgarian translations",
    "Terms with Czech translations",
    "Terms with Danish translations",
    "Terms with Esperanto translations",
    "Terms with Finnish translations",
    "Terms with French translations",
    "Terms with German translations",
    "Terms with Greek translations",
    "Terms with Italian translations",
    "Terms with Latin translations",
    "Terms with Portuguese translations",
    "Terms with Russian translations",
    "Terms with Spanish translations",
    "Terms with Swedish translations",
    "Terms with Ukrainian translations",
    "Terms with Welsh translations"
  ],
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "prōverbiālis"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin prōverbiālis",
      "name": "uder"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "proverb",
        "3": "ial"
      },
      "expansion": "proverb + -ial",
      "name": "suffix"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "From Latin prōverbiālis. Equivalent to proverb + -ial",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "proverbials",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "proverbial (plural proverbials)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English euphemisms"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "I think we should be prepared in case the proverbial hits the fan."
        },
        {
          "text": "Are you taking the proverbial?"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Used to replace a word that might be considered unacceptable in a particular situation, when using a well-known phrase."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "unacceptable",
          "unacceptable"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(euphemistic) Used to replace a word that might be considered unacceptable in a particular situation, when using a well-known phrase."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "euphemistic"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "English euphemisms",
        "English terms with usage examples"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "You'll find they've got you by the proverbials.",
          "type": "example"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "The groin or the testicles."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "groin",
          "groin"
        ],
        [
          "testicle",
          "testicle"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(euphemistic, in the plural) The groin or the testicles."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "euphemistic",
        "in-plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/pɹəˈvɜɹb.iː.əl/",
      "tags": [
        "UK"
      ]
    },
    {
      "audio": "LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-proverbial.wav",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/5/56/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-proverbial.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-proverbial.wav.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/5/56/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-proverbial.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-proverbial.wav.ogg"
    }
  ],
  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "groin",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ],
      "word": "sukukalleudet"
    }
  ],
  "word": "proverbial"
}

Download raw JSONL data for proverbial meaning in English (9.4kB)


This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-12-21 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-12-04 using wiktextract (d8cb2f3 and 4e554ae). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.