Skip to main content

fablea short story, typically with animals as characters, conveying a moral lesson

Part of speech: NOUN

Definition: a short story, typically with animals as characters, conveying a moral lesson

Pronunciation (IPA): /ˈfeɪbəl/

Example Sentences

  • The teacher used the fable of the tortoise and the hare to explain why slow and steady wins the race.
  • My grandmother's cooking advice sounds like a fable: 'The impatient chef burns the soup, but the patient one feeds the village.'
  • His success story became a modern fable about hard work and determination.

fable

NOUN

[/ˈfeɪbəl/]

a short story, typically with animals as characters, conveying a moral lesson

Animal story with moral lesson
💡 Concept

Animal story with moral lesson

A fable shared at the stable table
🎵 Rhyme

A fable shared at the stable table

Got the picture? Now let's practice.

🎤Pronunciation

🇺🇸 US/ˈfeɪbəl/
🇬🇧 UK/ˈfeɪbəl/

🌳Etymology

Rootfab-
Suffix--le

Origin

The word derives from Latin 'fabula', meaning 'story' or 'narrative'. This noun originates from the Latin verb 'fari', meaning 'to speak' or 'to say'. Since antiquity, fables have served as a literary tradition for conveying moral lessons through narratives featuring animals as principal characters.

Breakdown

fabula (Latin: story, narrative) + -e (diminutive/nominative suffix). The root 'fabula' itself stems from 'fari' (to speak, to say), forming an agent noun for something that is spoken or told.

🎵Rhyme

tablecablestableable
table
cable
stable
able

🔗Collocations

Aesop's fables
moral fable
classic fable
tell a fable
modern fable

📝Examples

The teacher used the fable of the tortoise and the hare to explain why slow and steady wins the race.

😄 Fun example

My grandmother's cooking advice sounds like a fable: 'The impatient chef burns the soup, but the patient one feeds the village.'

His success story became a modern fable about hard work and determination.

Reading fables to children helps them learn important values in an entertaining way.

📚Related Words

Synonyms

parableallegorytalestorylegend

Antonyms

factrealitytruth

Related

morallessonfolkloremythologynarrative

Want to master 19,000+ words?

Sign up free for flashcards & quizzes.