Webster
✕

Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary · 1913

Fable

Fa′ble (fā′b'l), n. [F., fr. L. fabula, fr. fari to speak, say. See Ban, and cf. Fabulous, Fame.] 1. A Feigned story or tale, intended to instruct or amuse; a fictitious narration intended to enforce some useful truth or precept; an apologue. See the Note under Apologue.

Jotham's fable of the trees is the oldest extant. Addison.

2. The plot, story, or connected series of events, forming the subject of an epic or dramatic poem.

The moral is the first business of the poet; this being formed, he contrives such a design or fable as may be most suitable to the moral. Dryden.

3. Any story told to excite wonder; common talk; the theme of talk. "Old wives' fables. " 1 Tim. iv. 7.

We grew The fable of the city where we dwelt. Tennyson.

4. Fiction; untruth; falsehood.

It would look like a fable to report that this gentleman gives away a great fortune by secret methods. Addison.

Fa′ble, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Fabled; p. pr. & vb. n. Fabling.] To compose fables; hence, to write or speak fiction ; to write or utter what is not true. "He Fables not." Shak.

Vain now the tales which fabling poets tell. Prior.

He fables, yet speaks truth. M. Arnold.

Fa′ble, v. t. To feign; to invent; to devise, and speak of, as true or real; to tell of falsely.

The hell thou fablest. Milton.

Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Noah Porter, editor (Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913). Public domain. Text as transcribed by MICRA, Inc., from Project Gutenberg. Changed for Deep Dive Bible: Greek, which our source spelled in Latin letters, set in Greek letters; entries of one spelling merged into one article; Greek words our source left out (shown as “?”), read from the 1898 printing, from the same plates (the Library of Congress’s copy), where the place could be found with certainty. Of the others, 1,362 (a word or a single letter each) were inferred by AI from the context by the dictionary’s own rules and are marked with a wavy underline (tap or point at one to see the note); the rest, which could not be inferred with confidence, are left as “?”.