fable

Meaning

Noun

1. A fictitious narrative intended to enforce some useful truth or precept, usually with animals, etc. as characters; an apologue. Prototypically, Aesop's Fables.
2. Any story told to excite wonder; common talk; the theme of talk.
3. Fiction; untruth; falsehood.
4. The plot, story, or connected series of events forming the subject of an epic or dramatic poem.

Verb

1. (archaic, intransitive) To compose fables; hence, to write or speak fiction; to write or utter what is not true.
2. (archaic, transitive) To make up; to devise, and speak of, as true or real; to tell of falsely; to recount in the form of a fable.

Synonyms

tale

story

legend

myth

fiction

allegory

fairy tale

parable

fabrication

apologue

invention

lie

riddle

news

📰

anecdote

cock-and-bull story

metaphor

folktale

saga

narrative

short story

analogy

fairy story

falsehood

allegorist

theater

theatre

old story

romance

made-up story

history

moral story

traditional short story

conversation

feign

confession

adage

legends

children’s story

beast fable

proverb

relate

parabole

scheme

Translations

fable

Fabel

fábula

fabel

favola

Märchen

conte

légende

cuento

leggenda

fábula

μύθος

fabula

leyenda

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈfeɪbəl/

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English: -

In summary

From Middle English, borrowed from Old French fable, from Latin fābula, from fārī (“to speak, say”) + -bula (“instrumental suffix”). See ban, and compare fabulous, fame. Doublet of fabula.