Meaning

noun a saying that is widely accepted on its own merits

noun English inventor (born in the United States) who invented the Maxim gun that was used in World War I (1840-1916)

originFrom Anglo-Norman maxime and Middle French maxime, from Late Latin maxima (“axiom”), noun use of the feminine singular form of Latin maximus (apparently as used in the phrase prōpositiō maxima (“greatest premise”)). Doublet of maxima.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 3.0