parable

English

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈpaɹəbəl/

  • Audio (Southern England)

    (file)

• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈpæɹ.ə.bəl/, /ˈpɛɹ.ə.bəl/
• Rhymes: -æɹəbəl

Etymology 1

From Middle English parable, from Old French parable, parabole, from Late Latin parabola, from Ancient Greek παραβολή (parabolḗ, “comparison”). Doublet of parabola, parole, and palaver.

Noun

parable (plural parables)

1. A short narrative illustrating a lesson (usually religious/moral) by comparison or analogy.

   In the New Testament the parables told by Jesus Christ convey His message, as in "The parable of the prodigal son".

   Catholic homilies normally draw on at least one Biblical lecture, often parables.

Related terms

• palaver
• parabola
• parabole
• parabolist
• parole

Translations

short story illustrating a lesson

• Basque: berdintza
• Belarusian: прытча f (prytča), прыпавесць f (prypavjescʹ)
• Bulgarian: притча (bg) f (pritča)
• Catalan: paràbola (ca) f
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 譬語／譬语 (pìyǔ), 隱語／隐语 (zh) (yǐnyǔ), 諷喻／讽喻 (fěngyù), 寓言 (zh) (yùyán)

• Czech: podobenství (cs) n
• Danish: lignelse c
• Dutch: parabel (nl) m
• Esperanto: parabolo
• Finnish: paraabeli (fi), vertauskertomus (fi)
• French: parabole (fr)
• Galician: parábola (gl) f
• Georgian: იგავი (igavi), იგავ-არაკი (igav-araḳi)
• German: Gleichnis (de) n, Gleichniserzählung f, Gleichnisrede, Parabel (de) f
• Gothic: 𐌲𐌰𐌾𐌿𐌺𐍉 f (gajukō)
• Greek: παραβολή (el) f (paravolí)

  Ancient: παραβολή f (parabolḗ)

• Hebrew: מָשָׁל (he) m (mashál)
• Hungarian: példázat (hu), példabeszéd (hu)
• Indonesian: parabel (id)
• Italian: parabola (it) f
• Japanese: 寓話 (ja) (ぐうわ, gūwa), 譬え話 (たとえばなし, tatoebanashi), 比喩 (ja) (ひゆ, hiyu)
• Latin: parabola (la), parabole
• Luxembourgish: Gläichnes n
• Macedonian: парабола f (parabola)
• Norman: pathabole f
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: lignelse m, liknelse m, parabel m

  Nynorsk: likning f, parabel m

• Old Church Slavonic: притъча (pritŭča)
• Persian: حکایت (fa) (hekâyat)
• Polish: przypowieść (pl) f, parabola (pl) f
• Portuguese: parábola (pt) f
• Russian: при́тча (ru) f (prítča), иносказа́ние (ru) n (inoskazánije)
• Scottish Gaelic: cosamhlachd f
• Serbo-Croatian: prispodoba (sh) f, priča (sh) f

  Cyrillic: пара̀бола f

  Roman: paràbola (sh) f

• Slovene: prilika f
• Spanish: parábola (es) f
• Swedish: liknelse (sv) c
• Tagalog: sayaral
• Ukrainian: при́тча f (prýtča)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Welsh: ^{(please verify)} dameg f

Verb

parable (third-person singular simple present parables, present participle parabling, simple past and past participle parabled)

1. (transitive) To represent by parable.
   • 1644, J[ohn] M[ilton], The Doctrine or Discipline of Divorce: […], 2nd edition, London: [s.n.], →OCLC, book:

     Which by the ancient sages was thus parabled.

See also

• fable
• allegory
• pericope
• simile

Etymology 2

From Latin parābilis, from parāre (“to prepare, procure”).

Adjective

parable (comparative more parable, superlative most parable)

1. (obsolete) That can easily be prepared or procured; obtainable.
   • 1624, Democritus Junior [pseudonym; Robert Burton], The Anatomy of Melancholy: […], 2nd edition, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Printed by John Lichfield and James Short, for Henry Cripps, →OCLC:

     The most parable and easy, and about which many are employed, is to teach a school, turn lecturer or curate […] .

   • 1650, Thomas Browne, Pseudodoxia Epidemica: […], 2nd edition, London: […] A[braham] Miller, for Edw[ard] Dod and Nath[aniel] Ekins, […], →OCLC:

     well-wishers unto parable Physick

Further reading

• parable on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Anagrams

• rapable

French

Etymology

Ultimately from Latin parare (“to ward off”)

Adjective

parable (plural parables)

1. preventable (able to be or fit to be prevented)

Related terms

• parade
• parer (verb)

Anagrams

• palabre

Middle English

Alternative forms

• parabole, parabol, parabele, parabyl, parabyll, parabil

Etymology

From Old French parable, parabole, from Late Latin parabola, from Ancient Greek παραβολή (parabolḗ).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /paˈraːblə/, /paˈraːbəl/, /ˈparabəl/

Noun

parable (plural parables)

1. A parable or narrative (usually teaching or illustrating a lesson)
2. A maxim or byword, a short phrase or quip teaching or illustrating a lesson.
3. A oration or session of speaking, especially one full of invective; a diatribe or rant.

Descendants

• English: parable
• Scots: parable
• Yola: parboles (plural)

References

• “parā̆ble, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2019-04-21.