fable

fable

English

Etymology

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.

Pronunciation

• enPR: fā′bəl, IPA^(key): /ˈfeɪbəl/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -eɪbəl
• Hyphenation: fa‧ble

Noun

fable (plural fables)

1. A fictitious narrative intended to enforce some useful truth or precept, usually with animals, etc. as characters; an apologue. Prototypically, Aesop's Fables.

   Synonym: morality play

2. Any story told to excite wonder; common talk; the theme of talk.

   Synonym: legend

   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], OCLC 964384981, 1 Timothy 4:7, column 1:

     But refuſe prophane and olde wiues fables, and exerciſe thy ſelfe rather vnto godlineſſe.

   • 1842, Alfred Tennyson, “The Gardener’s Daughter; or, The Pictures”, in Poems. […], volume II, London: Edward Moxon, […], OCLC 1008064829, page 19:

     […] we grew / The fable of the city where we dwelt.

3. Fiction; untruth; falsehood.
   • 1712 January 13 (Gregorian calendar)​, Joseph Addison; Richard Steele [et al.], “WEDNESDAY, January 2, 1711–1712”, in The Spectator, number 264; republished in Alexander Chalmers, editor, The Spectator; a New Edition, […], volume III, New York, N.Y.: D[aniel] Appleton & Company, 1853, OCLC 191120697, page 316:

     I say it would look like a fable to report that this gentleman gives away all which is the overplus of a great fortune by secret methods to other men.

4. The plot, story, or connected series of events forming the subject of an epic or dramatic poem.
   • 1695, John Dryden, A Parallel betwixt Painting and Poetry:

     For the moral (as Bossu observes,) is the first business of the poet, as being the groundwork of his instruction. This being formed, he contrives such a design, or fable, as may be most suitable to the moral;

Derived terms

• have a fable for (may be etymologically unrelated)
• personal fable
• fabulist

Translations

fictitious narration to enforce some useful truth or precept

Aghwan: 𐔸𐔰𐕃𐕒𐕡𐕘𐔴𐕒𐕡𐕢𐔴𐕚𐕒𐕡𐕎 (taʒ́uġeupesun), 𐔱𐔰𐔸𐔴𐕣𐔰𐔾𐔼𐕅 (batekalil') Akan: anansesem Albanian: fabul (sq) f, përrallë (sq) f Arabic: أُسْطُورَة‎ f (ʾusṭūra) Armenian: առակ (hy) (aṙak) Azerbaijani: əfsanə (az), təmsil (az) Bashkir: мәҫәл (mäθäl) Belarusian: ба́йка (be) f (bájka) Bulgarian: ба́сня (bg) f (básnja), при́тча (bg) f (prítča) Catalan: faula (ca) f Cherepon: anansesem Chinese: Mandarin: 寓言 (zh) (yùyán) Czech: bajka (cs) f Danish: fabel, eventyr (da) Dutch: fabel (nl) f Esperanto: fabelo Estonian: valm Finnish: satu (fi), taru (fi) French: conte (fr) m, fable (fr) f Georgian: იგავი (igavi) German: Fabel (de) f Gothic: 𐍃𐍀𐌹𐌻𐌻 n (spill) Greek: μύθος (el) m (mýthos) Ancient: μῦθος m (mûthos), αἶνος (aînos) Hebrew: משל‎ (he) m (mashál) Hungarian: mese (hu), tanítómese, fabula (hu) Icelandic: dæmisaga f Ido: fablo (io) Indonesian: fabel (id) Italian: fiaba (it) m Japanese: 寓言 (ja) (ぐうげん, gūgen), 寓話 (ja) (ぐうわ, gūwa) Javanese: dongèng (jv) Korean: 우화 (uhwa) Kyrgyz: тамсил (tamsil) Lao: ນິທານ (ni thān) Latin: fabulatio Latvian: fabula f Lithuanian: pasakėčia (lt) f Macedonian: ба́сна f (básna) Maori: pakikīrehe (involving animals), kōrero tara Norwegian: Bokmål: fabel (no) m Nynorsk: fabel m Occitan: fabla (oc) f Persian: افسانه‎ (fa) (afsâne), متل‎ (fa) (matal), فابل‎ (fâbl) Polish: bajka (pl) Portuguese: fábula (pt) f Romanian: fabulă (ro) f, poveste (ro) f Russian: ба́сня (ru) f (básnja), при́тча (ru) f (prítča), ба́йка (ru) f (bájka), ска́зка (ru) f (skázka) Saterland Frisian: Foabel Serbo-Croatian: Cyrillic: басна f, сказна f, бајка f Roman: basna (sh) f, skazna f, bȃjka (sh) f Slovak: bájka (sk) f, rozprávka f Slovene: basen (sl) f Spanish: fábula (es) f Swahili: hadithi (sw) Swedish: saga (sv), berättelse (sv), fabel (sv) c Tagalog: pabula, sayguni Tajik: масал (masal), матал (matal), афсона (tg) (afsona), шуг (šug) Thai: ตำนาน (th) (dtam-naan) Turkish: fabl (tr), öykünce (tr) Ukrainian: ба́йка (uk) f (bájka), ка́зка (uk) f (kázka) Uzbek: masal (uz) Vietnamese: ngụ ngôn (vi) Zulu: inganekwane class 9/10

story told to excite wonder

Bulgarian: изми́слица (bg) f (izmíslica) Chinese: Mandarin: 神話／神话 (zh) (shénhuà), 傳說／传说 (zh) (chuánshuō) Finnish: tarina (fi), juttu (fi), taru (fi) Hebrew: מעשייה‎ f (maasiyá) Norwegian: eventyr (no) Romanian: poveste (ro) f, legendă (ro) f Russian: небыли́ца (ru) f (nebylíca), вы́думка (ru) f (výdumka), ба́йка (ru) f (bájka), ска́зка (ru) f (skázka)

fiction, untruth, falsehood

Bulgarian: изми́слица (bg) f (izmíslica) Chinese: Mandarin: 謊言／谎言 (zh) (huǎngyán) Finnish: vale (fi), taru (fi) Hebrew: מעשייה‎ f (maasiyá) Javanese: dongèngan Norwegian: Bokmål: fabel (no) m Persian: لغاز‎ (fa) (loğâz) Polish: bajka (pl) f Romanian: poveste (ro) f

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

Irish: (please verify) fabhalscéalaíocht f

Verb

fable (third-person singular simple present fables, present participle fabling, simple past and past participle fabled)

1. (intransitive, archaic) To compose fables; hence, to write or speak fiction; to write or utter what is not true.
   • 1591 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The First Part of Henry the Sixt”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358, [Act IV, scene ii], page 111, column 2:

     He Fables not, I heare the enemie: / Out ſome light Horſemen, and peruſe their Wings.

   • 1709, Mat[thew] Prior, “An Ode, Humbly Inscrib’d to the Queen”, in Poems on Several Occasions, 2nd edition, London: […] Jacob Tonson […], OCLC 1103119849, stanza XVII, page 287:

     Vain now the Tales which fab’ling Poets tell, / That wav’ring Conqueſt ſtill deſires to rove; / In Marlbrô’s Camp the Goddeſs knows to dwell: / Long as the Hero’s Life remains her Love.

   • 1852, Matthew Arnold, Empedocles on Etna, Act II, in Empedocles on Etna and Other Poems, London: B. Fellowes, p. 50,

     He fables, yet speaks truth.

2. (transitive, archaic) 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: make up, invent, feign, devise

   • 1667, John Milton, “Book VI”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], […], OCLC 228722708; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, OCLC 230729554, lines 288–292:

     […] erre not that ſo ſhall end / The ſtrife of Glorie: which we mean to win, / Or turn this Heav’n itſelf into the Hell / Thou fableſt […]

   • 1691, “Cassandra, or, Divination”, in Arthur Gorges, transl., The Wisdom of the Ancients, London, translation of [De Sapientia Veterum] by Francis Bacon, page 1:

     THE Poets Fable, That Apollo being enamoured of Caſſandra, was by her many ſhifts and cunning ſlights ſtill deluded in his Deſire […]

   • 1922 February, James Joyce, “[Episode 2: Nestor]”, in Ulysses, Paris: Shakespeare and Company, […], OCLC 560090630, part I [Telemachia], page 24:

     Fabled by the daughters of memory. And yet it was in some way if not as memory fabled it. A phrase, then, of impatience, thud of Blake’s wings of excess.

Derived terms

• fabler

Translations

compose fables

Bulgarian: съчинявам басни (sǎčinjavam basni) Chinese: Mandarin: 編造／编造 (zh) (biānzào), 虛構／虚构 (zh) (xūgòu), 捏造 (zh) (niēzào) Danish: fable Finnish: sepittää (satuja) German: fabulieren (de) Hebrew: המשיל‎ (himshíl) Hungarian: mesél (hu) Macedonian: фабули́ра (fabulíra)

tell of falsely

Bulgarian: измислям (bg) (izmisljam) Chinese: Mandarin: 編造／编造 (zh) (biānzào), 虛構／虚构 (zh) (xūgòu), 捏造 (zh) (niēzào) Danish: fabulere Finnish: puhua omiaan Hungarian: költ (hu), kohol (hu) Macedonian: измислува (izmisluva) Norwegian: Bokmål: fable (no) Polish: bajdurzyć (pl) impf Romanian: fabula (ro)

Further reading

• fable in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913

Anagrams

• befal

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French

Etymology

From Old French fable, borrowed from Latin fabula.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /fabl/

• Audio

  (file)

Noun

fable f (plural fables)

1. fable, story

   Synonyms: conte, histoire

Related terms

• affabulation

Descendants

• → Turkish: fabl

Further reading

• “fable”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

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Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology

From the noun fabel, ultimately from Latin fabula, from fā(rī) (“to speak, say”) + -bula (“instrumental suffix”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /fɑːblə/

Verb

fable (imperative fabl or fable, present tense fabler, passive fables, simple past and past participle fabla or fablet)

1. to fantasize, dream

   fable om suksess

   dream about success

Derived terms

• fabel

References

• “fable” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

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Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

From the noun fabel, ultimately from Latin fabula, from fā(rī) (“to speak, say”) + -bula (“instrumental suffix”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /fɑːblə/

Verb

fable (imperative fabl, present tense fablar, simple past and past participle fabla)

1. to fantasize, dream

   fable om suksess

   dream about success

2. to make up (something)

Derived terms

• fabel

References

• “fable” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

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Old French

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin fabula.

Noun

fable f (oblique plural fables, nominative singular fable, nominative plural fables)

1. fable, story
   • circa 1250, Rutebeuf, Ci encoumence la lections d'ypocrisie et d'umilité:

     Ne vos wel faire longue fable

     I don't want to tell you a long story

Synonyms

• conte
• estoire

Descendants

• Middle French: fable
  • French: fable
• → Middle Dutch: fabele
  • Dutch: fabel
• → Middle English: fable
  • English: fable
• → Middle High German: fabele
  • German: Fabel