parable
Americannoun
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a short story that uses familiar events to illustrate a religious or ethical point
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any of the stories of this kind told by Jesus Christ
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of parable
First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English parabil, from Late Latin parabola “allegory, comparison, word,” from Greek parabolḗ “comparison,” from para- para- 1 + bolḗ “a throw”
Compare meaning
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Explanation
A parable is a short and simple story that teaches a religious or moral lesson. The parable of the Good Samaritan and the parable of the Prodigal Son are just two examples of the many parables attributed to Jesus, as recorded in the four gospels. Parable descends from the Greek parabolē, "a comparison, analogy," from paraballein, "to compare," from the prefix para-, "beside," plus ballein, "to throw." The sense of comparing, or throwing an idea beside another, is at the heart of the word. When you hear a parable, you're meant to use the comparison to learn how to act — the fox's "sour grapes" are compared to your own downgrading of the thing you cannot have.
Vocabulary lists containing parable
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I've Been to the Mountaintop" (1968)
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American Born Chinese
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
It reminded me of the Parable of the Mustard Seed, in which a woman demanded that the Buddha bring her child back to life.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 8, 2023
"Parable of the Sower" is set in 2024, which isn't so far away now.
From Salon • Dec. 17, 2022
Among the manuscripts, personal notes and correspondence is the unfinished draft of the third book in the Parable series, “Parable of the Trickster,” which begins with an epigram that has been attributed to Butler herself.
From Seattle Times • Nov. 25, 2022
In the story “The Parable of Goats,” the protagonist is Second Lt.
From New York Times • Jul. 19, 2022
"Quarries"—"Day and Night," "The Spirit on the Face of the Waters," "Creation of Birds and Fishes," "Eden," and "The Parable of the Good Seed," by Pupils of H. A. Payne, Birmingham School of Art.
From Stained Glass Work A text-book for students and workers in glass by Whall, C. W.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
