Meanings
parable1
plural parables
- rhetoricA short narrative illustrating a lesson (usually religious/moral) by comparison or analogy.
Catholic homilies normally draw on at least one Biblical lecture, often parables.
1 more example
In the New Testament the parables told by Jesus Christ convey His message, as in "The parable of the prodigal son".
Synonyms: exemplum
present singular third person parables · participle present parabling · participle past parabled · past parabled
- transitiveTo represent by parable.
Which by the ancient sages was thus parabled.
1643, J[ohn] M[ilton], The Doctrine and Discipline of Divorce: […], London: […] T[homas] P[aine] and M[atthew] S[immons] […], →OCLC
parable2
comparative more parable · superlative most parable
- obsoleteThat can easily be prepared or procured; obtainable.
well-wishers unto parable Physick
1650, Thomas Browne, Pseudodoxia Epidemica: […], 2nd edition, London: […] A[braham] Miller, for Edw[ard] Dod and Nath[aniel] Ekins, […], →OCLC1 more example
The most parable and easy, and about which many are employed, is to teach a school, turn lecturer or curate […].
1621, Democritus Junior [pseudonym; Robert Burton], The Anatomy of Melancholy, New York: New York Review Books, published 2001, →ISBN, page 306
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA short narrative illustrating a lesson (usually religious/moral) by comparison or analogy.
More synonyms by meaning
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
parable · noun, verb
- Proto-Indo-European*per-
- Proto-Indo-European*preh₂-
- Proto-Hellenic*pərai
- Ancient Greekπᾰρᾰ́ (părắ)
- Ancient Greekπαρα- (para-)
- Proto-Indo-European*gʷelH-
- Proto-Hellenic*gʷəlnō
- Ancient Greekβάλλω (bállō)
- Ancient Greekπαραβάλλω (parabállō)
- Ancient Greekπαραβολή (parabolḗ)
- Late Latinparabola
- Old Frenchparabole
- Middle Englishparable
- Englishparable
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.
More words from Middle English, Old French, Late Latin
Full word history & related roots →parable · adjective
- Latinparābilis
- Englishparable
From Latin parābilis, from parāre (“to prepare, procure”).
More words from Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek παραβολή
- παραβολή (parabolḗ)short story illustrating a lesson
Basque berdintza
- berdintzashort story illustrating a lesson
Bulgarian притча
- притча (pritča)short story illustrating a lesson
Catalan paràbola
- paràbolashort story illustrating a lesson
Chinese Mandarin 譬語 /譬语, 隱語 /隐语
- 譬語 /譬语 (pìyǔ)short story illustrating a lesson
- 隱語 /隐语 (yǐnyǔ)short story illustrating a lesson
- 諷喻 /讽喻 (fěngyù)short story illustrating a lesson
- 寓言 (yùyán)short story illustrating a lesson
Czech podobenství
- podobenstvíshort story illustrating a lesson
Danish lignelse
- lignelseshort story illustrating a lesson
Dutch parabel
- parabelshort story illustrating a lesson
Esperanto parabolo
- paraboloshort story illustrating a lesson
Finnish paraabeli, vertauskertomus
- paraabelishort story illustrating a lesson
- vertauskertomusshort story illustrating a lesson
French parabole
- paraboleshort story illustrating a lesson
German Gleichnis, Gleichniserzählung
- Gleichnisshort story illustrating a lesson
- Gleichniserzählungshort story illustrating a lesson
- Gleichnisredeshort story illustrating a lesson
- Parabelshort story illustrating a lesson
Greek παραβολή
- παραβολή (paravolí)short story illustrating a lesson
Hebrew מָשָׁל
- מָשָׁל (mashál)short story illustrating a lesson
Hindi दृष्टांत
- दृष्टांत (dŕṣṭānt)short story illustrating a lesson
Hungarian példázat, példabeszéd
- példázatshort story illustrating a lesson
- példabeszédshort story illustrating a lesson
Indonesian parabel
- parabelshort story illustrating a lesson
Italian parabola
- parabolashort story illustrating a lesson
Japanese 寓話, 譬え話
- 寓話 (gūwa)short story illustrating a lesson
- 譬え話 (tatoebanashi)short story illustrating a lesson
- 比喩 (hiyu)short story illustrating a lesson
Latin parabola, parabole
- parabolashort story illustrating a lesson
- paraboleshort story illustrating a lesson
Norwegian Bokmål lignelse, liknelse
- lignelseshort story illustrating a lesson
- liknelseshort story illustrating a lesson
- parabelshort story illustrating a lesson
Persian حکایت
- حکایت (hekâyat)short story illustrating a lesson
Polish przypowieść, parabola
- przypowieśćshort story illustrating a lesson
- parabolashort story illustrating a lesson
Portuguese parábola
- parábolashort story illustrating a lesson
Russian при́тча, иносказа́ние
- при́тча (prítča)short story illustrating a lesson
- иносказа́ние (inoskazánije)short story illustrating a lesson
Scottish Gaelic cosamhlachd
- cosamhlachdshort story illustrating a lesson
Spanish parábola
- parábolashort story illustrating a lesson
Swedish liknelse
- liknelseshort story illustrating a lesson
Tagalog sayaral
- sayaralshort story illustrating a lesson
Ukrainian при́тча
- при́тча (prýtča)short story illustrating a lesson
Welsh dameg
- damegshort story illustrating a lesson
Rhymes & wordplay
Anagrams
Cite this entry
parable. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/parable
“parable.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/parable. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “parable,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/parable.
Source: parable on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.