fable

[ˈfeɪbəl]

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A fable is a short story that teaches us a lesson about life. It often features animals as characters and has a moral at the end.

Fables are commonly used to make a point or teach a value without being too direct. Imagine you're reading a story about a rabbit who works hard every day, but a squirrel who plays all day is always happy. The story might say something like "hard work is better than laziness." It's not a lecture, just a tale that shows us what's good to know. People often use fables in conversation or writing to make a point without sounding preachy.

How common is "fable"?

Word fable is considered rare in modern English.
It has a balanced usage among all categories: speech, fiction, newspapers and academic texts.

Definitions

noun

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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legendmorality play

verb

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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devisefeigninventmake up