exemplum

[ ig-zem-pluhm ]

noun

, plural ex·em·pla [ig-, zem, -pl, uh].

1. an example or model.
2. an anecdote that illustrates or supports a moral point, as in a medieval sermon.

exemplum

/ ɪɡˈzɛmpləm /

noun

1. an anecdote that supports a moral point or sustains an argument, used esp in medieval sermons
2. an example or illustration

Word History and Origins

Origin of exemplum¹

1885–90; < Late Latin, Latin: literally, a pattern, model, copy

Word History and Origins

Origin of exemplum¹

from Latin: example

Example Sentences

It seems like an unimpeachable exemplum.

From Salon

Stick or No Stick is the exemplum of the bunch, making barely submerged subtext into carrot-shaped text: A boy has a something, and a girl has a nothing.

From Slate

“The ironic thing about that program,” Ignatius was saying over the stove, keeping one eye peeled so that he could seize the pot as soon as the milk began to boil, “is that it is supposed to be an exemplum to the youth of our nation. I would like very much to know what the Founding Fathers would say if they could see these children being debauched to further the cause of Clearasil. However, I always suspected that democracy would come to this.”

From Literature

The homily is accompanied by an exemplum: an account of the life of Father Dmitry Dudko, a remarkable evangelising Orthodox priest of the 1960s and 1970s.

From The Guardian

Aliquam sed duo sunt quae hic primum pertinet ad hominem moralem papae tantibus in exemplum, deinde latius lawbreaking ipsius ducis officium institutionis ascendat et ignominiosus est.

From Slate