\begin{definition}[Definition:Axiom/Also known as]
An '''axiom''' is also known as a '''postulate'''.
Among ancient Greek philosophers, the term '''axiom''' was used for a general truth that was common to everybody (see Euclid's "common notions"), while  '''postulate''' had a specific application to the subject under discussion.
For most authors, the distinction is no longer used, and the terms are generally used interchangeably. This is the position of {{ProofWiki}}.
However, some believe there is a difference significant enough to matter:
:''... we shall use "postulate" instead of "axiom" hereafter, as "axiom" has a pernicious historical association of "self-evident, necessary truth", which "postulate" does not have; a postulate is an arbitrary assumption laid down by the mathematician himself and not by God Almighty.''
:::: -- {{BookReference|Men of Mathematics|1937|Eric Temple Bell}}: Chapter $\text{II}$: Modern Minds in Ancient Bodies
\end{definition}