parable
[ par-uh-buhl ]
/ ˈpær ə bəl /
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.
Nearby words
parabasal body, parabasis, paraben, parabiosis, parablast, parable, parablepsia, parables, parabola, parabolic, parabolic aerial
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 forms
pa·rab·o·list [puh-rab-uh-list] /pəˈræb ə lɪst/, nounDictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for parables
British Dictionary definitions for parables
parable
/ (ˈpærəbəl) /
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 Forms
parabolist (pəˈræbəlɪst), nounWord 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
Culture definitions for parables
parables
In the New Testament, the stories told by Jesus to convey his religious message; they include the parable of the Good Samaritan and that of the Prodigal Son.
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.