'aphorize' originates from Greek, specifically the verb 'aphorizein', where 'apo-' meant 'away' and 'horizein' meant 'to limit or mark out'.

'aphorize' changed from the Greek verb 'aphorizein' into the Late Latin/Medieval Latin noun 'aphorismus' and via French/English formations ('aphoriser' / 'aphorize') eventually became the modern English verb 'aphorize'.

Initially it meant 'to set apart' or 'to mark off' (in the sense of defining or delimiting); over time it evolved into the current sense 'to express briefly as an aphorism' (to put into concise, pithy statements).