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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

/ ˈ´Ú±ðɪ²úÉ™±ô /

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 fabulous
  5. archaic.
    the 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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Derived Forms

  • ˈ´Ú²¹²ú±ô±ð°ù, noun
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Other ˜yÐÄvlog Forms

  • ´Ú²¹Â·²ú±ô±ð°ù noun
  • ´Ç³Ü³Ù·´Ú²¹Â·²ú±ô±ð verb (used with object) outfabled outfabling
  • ³Ü²Ô·´Ú²¹Â·²ú±ô¾±²Ô²µ adjective
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˜yÐÄvlog History and Origins

Origin of fable1

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English fable, fabel, fabul, from Anglo-French, Old French, from Latin ´ÚÄå²ú³Ü±ô²¹ “a story, tale,†equivalent to ´ÚÄå(°ùÄ«) “to speak†+ -bula suffix of instrument
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˜yÐÄvlog History and Origins

Origin of fable1

C13: from Latin ´ÚÄå²ú³Ü±ô²¹ story, narrative, from ´ÚÄå°ùÄ« to speak, say
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Synonym Study

See legend.
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

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

The lawsuit read like a fable of American capitalism.

From

For much of our history Americans have been enchanted by a fable of their own invention: that we are one people, that “America†means more or less the same thing to us all.

From

America’s addiction to fable over fact and common sense has brought us closer to the superhero’s unreality, minus the powered-up vigilantes.

From

Yet the bench survives, in the spirit of Gothic fables and improbable Hollywood endings everywhere.

From

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