Fable Definition

fābəl

fabled, fables, fabling

noun

fables

A fictitious story meant to teach a moral lesson: the characters are usually talking animals.

Webster's New World

A story about legendary persons and exploits.

American Heritage

A myth or legend.

Webster's New World

A story that is not true; falsehood.

Webster's New World

The plot of a literary work.

Webster's New World

Synonyms:

Antonyms:

verb

fables, fabling

To recount as if true.

American Heritage

To write or tell (fables, legends, or falsehoods)

Webster's New World

Synonyms:

Other Word Forms of Fable

Singular:

fable

Plural:

fables

From Middle English, from Old French fable, from Latin fabula, from fari (“to speak, say”). See Ban, and compare fabulous, fame.

From Wiktionary
Middle English from Old French from Latin fābula from fārī to speak bhā-² in Indo-European roots

From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition