Unnumbered source etymology
Original entry ↗To compose fables; hence, to write or speak fiction; to write or utter what is not true. · To make up; to devise, and speak of, as true or real; to tell of falsely; to recount in the form of a fable.
A fictitious narrative intended to enforce some useful truth or precept, usually with animals, etc. as characters; an apologue. Prototypically, Aesop's Fables. · Any story told to excite wonder; common talk; the theme of talk. · Fiction; untruth; falsehood. · The plot, story, or connected series of events forming the subject of an epic or dramatic poem.
From Middle English, borrowed from Old French fable, from Latin fābula, from fārī (“to speak, say”) + -bula (“instrumental suffix”). See ban, and compare fabulous, fame. Doublet of fabula.
Relationships mentioned by the source
These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.
Inspect preserved source fields
Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.
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{
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{
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"To compose fables; hence, to write or speak fiction; to write or utter what is not true.",
"To make up; to devise, and speak of, as true or real; to tell of falsely; to recount in the form of a fable."
],
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"A fictitious narrative intended to enforce some useful truth or precept, usually with animals, etc. as characters; an apologue. Prototypically, Aesop's Fables.",
"Any story told to excite wonder; common talk; the theme of talk.",
"Fiction; untruth; falsehood.",
"The plot, story, or connected series of events forming the subject of an epic or dramatic poem."
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