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parable

American  
[par-uh-buhl] / ˈpær ə bəl /

noun

  1. a short allegorical story designed to illustrate or teach some truth, religious principle, or moral lesson.

    Synonyms:
    apologue, homily, allegory

  2. a statement or comment that conveys a meaning indirectly by the use of comparison, analogy, or the like.

parable British  
/ ˈpærəbəl, pəˈræbəlɪst /

noun

  1. a short story that uses familiar events to illustrate a religious or ethical point

  2. any of the stories of this kind told by Jesus Christ

"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

Other Word Forms

  • parabolist noun

Etymology

Origin of parable

First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English parabil, from Late Latin parabola “allegory, comparison, word,” from Greek parabolḗ “comparison,” from para- para- 1 + bolḗ “a throw”

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.