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parable

par·a·ble

parable

 
 
pronunciation:
pae r bl
features:
Word Combinations (noun), Word History, Word Explorer, Word Parts
part of speech: noun
definition: a brief story told as a moral or religious lesson, esp. one that uses allegory or symbolism.
The Biblical parable of the Good Samaritan teaches that it is right to help others whether or not they are strangers to us.
similar words:
allegory, apologue, fable, story
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Word History
The word parable comes from Latin and ancient Greek words that mean "a comparison." One learns most from a parable when one understands that the story is supposed to be compared with something else. What that "something else" is, the reader must discover.
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See
  literature, moral, myth
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