Definition of
Fable
- (noun, communication) a story about mythical or supernatural beings or events
- (noun, communication) a short moral story (often with animal characters)
- (noun, communication) a deliberately false or improbable account
via WordNet, Princeton University
Alternate forms of Fable
Derivations: fabulist, fabulous
Hyponyms: aesop's fables, arthurian legend, canard
Origin of the word Fable
- c.1300, from O.Fr. fable, from L. fabula "story, play, fable," lit. "that which is told," from fari "speak, tell," from PIE base *bha- "speak" (see fame). Sense of "animal story" comes from Aesop. In modern folklore terms, defined as "a short, comic tale making a moral point about human nature, usually through animal characters behaving in human ways… more
via Online Etymology Dictionary, ©2001 Douglas Harper