parable

[par-uh-buhl]

See more synonyms for parable on Thesaurus.com

noun

a short allegorical story designed to illustrate or teach some truth, religious principle, or moral lesson.
a statement or comment that conveys a meaning indirectly by the use of comparison, analogy, or the like.

Origin of parable

1275–1325; Middle English parabil < Late Latin parabola comparison, parable, word < Greek parabolḗ comparison, equivalent to para- para-¹ + bolḗ a throwing

Related formspa·rab·o·list

[puh-rab-uh-list] /pəˈræb ə lɪst/, noun

Synonyms for parable

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1. allegory, homily, apologue.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for parable

tale, fable, teaching, lesson, legend, allegory

Examples from the Web for parable

Contemporary Examples of parable

He recounts a parable that has long been a staple of dairy farm folklore.
The Secret to This Ice Cream: Pampered Cows
Jane & Michael Stern
May 18, 2014
Expecting otherwise is enough to make one recite the parable of the Old Woman and the Snake.
Which Team Will Make History With Michael Sam Tonight?
Robert Silverman
May 8, 2014
What seems at first to be novel about gender inequity gradually reveals itself to be a parable about social class.
American Dreams, 1924: ‘So Big’ by Edna Ferber
Nathaniel Rich
March 29, 2014
Equilateral can be read as a parable of the ways we blind ourselves through vanity, love, and greed.
The 2013 Novel of the Year Is…
Nathaniel Rich
December 30, 2013
For proof, please open your Seinfeld textbook to episode 174, that parable called “The Frogger.”
Sorry, Folks, Playing Dots Won’t Make You Smarter
Kent Sepkowitz
June 20, 2013

Historical Examples of parable

When this room had last been lighted, the parable of the Virgins of the Lamps was yet unspoken.
It Happened in Egypt
C. N. Williamson
It is to such that the unlimited prayer promises of the parable are given.
The Ministry of Intercession
Andrew Murray
We remember the marks of the true intercessor as the parable taught us them.
The Ministry of Intercession
Andrew Murray
What does the parable of the Pounds show us that we should do?
Hurlbut's Bible Lessons
Rev. Jesse Lyman Hurlbut
Not one of them who would not quote with approval the parable of the Wedding Guest.
The Stark Munro Letters
J. Stark Munro

British Dictionary definitions for parable

parable

noun

a short story that uses familiar events to illustrate a religious or ethical pointRelated adjectives: parabolic, parabolical
any of the stories of this kind told by Jesus Christ

Derived Formsparabolist (pəˈræbəlɪst), noun

Word Origin for parable

C14: from Old French parabole, from Latin parabola comparison, from Greek parabolē analogy, from paraballein to throw alongside, from para- 1 + ballein to throw

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

Word Origin and History for parable

mid-13c., parabol, modern form from early 14c., "saying or story in which something is expressed in terms of something else," from Old French parable "parable, parabolic style in writing" (13c.), from Latin parabola "comparison," from Greek parabole "a comparison, parable," literally "a throwing beside," hence "a juxtaposition," from para- "alongside" (see para- (1)) + bole "a throwing, casting, beam, ray," related to ballein "to throw" (see ballistics).

Replaced Old English bispell. In Vulgar Latin, parabola took on the meaning "word," hence Italian parlare, French parler "to speak" (see parley (n.)).