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The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 (gcide)

Epigram \Ep"i*gram\, n. [L. epigramma, fr. Gr. ? inscription,
epigram, fr. ? to write upon, 'epi` upon ? to write: cf. F.
['e]pigramme. See {Graphic}.]
1. 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.
[1913 Webster]

Dost thou think I care for a satire or an epigram?
--Shak.
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Note: Epigrams were originally inscription on tombs, statues,
temples, triumphal arches, etc.
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2. An effusion of wit; a bright thought tersely and sharply
expressed, whether in verse or prose.
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3. The style of the epigram.
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Antithesis, i. e., bilateral stroke, is the soul of
epigram in its later and technical signification.
--B. Cracroft.
Epigrammatic