51Թ

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fable

[fey-buhl]

noun

  1. a short tale to teach a moral lesson, often with animals or inanimate objects as characters; apologue: Aesop's fables.

    the fable of the tortoise and the hare;

    Aesop's fables.

  2. a story not founded on fact.

    This biography is largely a self-laudatory fable.

  3. a story about supernatural or extraordinary persons or incidents; legend.

    the fables of gods and heroes.

  4. legends or myths collectively.

    the heroes of Greek fable.

  5. an untruth; falsehood.

    This boast of a cure is a medical fable.

  6. the plot of an epic, a dramatic poem, or a play.

  7. idle talk.

    old wives' fables.



verb (used without object)

fabled, fabling 
  1. to tell or write fables.

  2. to speak falsely; lie.

    to fable about one's past.

verb (used with object)

fabled, fabling 
  1. to describe as if actually so; talk about as if true.

    She is fabled to be the natural daughter of a king.

fable

/ ˈڱɪə /

noun

  1. a short moral story, esp one with animals as characters

  2. a false, fictitious, or improbable account; fiction or lie

  3. a story or legend about supernatural or mythical characters or events

  4. legends or myths collectively

  5. archaicthe plot of a play or of an epic or dramatic poem

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

verb

  1. to relate or tell (fables)

  2. (intr) to speak untruthfully; tell lies

  3. (tr) to talk about or describe in the manner of a fable

    ghosts are fabled to appear at midnight

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Other 51Թ Forms

  • fabler noun
  • outfable verb (used with object)
  • unfabling adjective
  • ˈڲ noun
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51Թ History and Origins

Origin of fable1

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English fable, fabel, fabul, from Anglo-French, Old French, from Latin ܱ “a story, tale,” equivalent to (ī) “to speak” + -bula suffix of instrument
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51Թ History and Origins

Origin of fable1

C13: from Latin ܱ story, narrative, from ī to speak, say
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Synonym Study

See legend.
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

The new book’s mostly-pictures-with-some-words approach is a return to Brown’s earlier work when he was creating charming fables for toddlers about our sometimes fraught, sometimes empathetic attitude toward nature.

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And like any fable worthy of its name, it ends with a moral.

From

This asymmetrical dynamic defines the “Star Wars” universe, but since the movies are designed to sell toys, we’re rarely asked to see them as anything more than fables pitting good against evil.

From

And that feels real too, as if it were this fable’s slap-you-awake moral.

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Max Webster’s production, which won three Tony Awards for its mesmerizing design, brings audiences along on an adventure that combines the heartfelt wisdom of a classic fable with the splendor of modern stage poetry.

From

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