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fable

fa·ble [ fáyb'l ]


noun  (plural fa·bles)
Definition:
 
1. story that teaches lesson: a short story with a moral, especially one in which the characters are animals

2. legend: a story about supernatural, mythological, or legendary characters and events

3. false account: a false or improbable account of something
His version of events turned out to be a complete fable.

4. myths and legends: myths and legends collectively
a character out of fable



transitive verb  (past and past participle fa·bled, present participle fa·bling, 3rd person present singular fa·bles)
Definition:
 
tell story: to tell a story or describe something in a fable ( archaic ) ( usually passive )

[13th century. Via Old French< Latin fabula "story" < fari "speak"]

fa·bler noun

Cultural Note

Fables, a collection of stories attributed to the Greek writer Aesop (620?-560? bc). Many of the tales feature animals as characters and each one illustrates a specific moral. Traditionally said to be the origin of the literary fable (although earlier examples have been found), they were used by the ancient Greeks for both educational and rhetorical purposes.

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