parable

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈpaɹəbəl/
• IPA^(key): /ˈpæɹ.ə.bəl/

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

Related terms

• palaver
• parabola
• parabole
• parole

Translations

short story illustrating a lesson

• Belarusian: прытча f (prytča), прыпавесць f (prypavjescʹ)
• Catalan: paràbola (ca) f
• Chinese:

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

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

  Ancient: παραβολή f (parabolḗ)

• Hungarian: példázat (hu), példabeszéd (hu)
• 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)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• 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
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}

Verb

1. (transitive) To represent by parable.
   • (Can we date this quote by John Milton and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)

     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.
   • Template:RQ:RBrtn AntmyMlncly

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

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Sir Thomas Browne to this entry?)

Further reading

• parable on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Anagrams

• rapable

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French

Etymology

Ultimately from (deprecated template usage) [etyl] 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

References

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