Definition: parable

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Source: WordNet (r) 1.7 

parable
     n 1: a short moral story (often with animal characters) [syn: fable,
           allegory, apologue]
     2: (New Testament) any of the stories told by Jesus to convey
        his religious message; "the parable of the prodigal son"

Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) 

Parable \Par"a*ble\, a. [L. parabilis, fr. parare to provide.]
   Procurable. [Obs.] --Sir T. Browne.
Parable \Par"a*ble\, n. [F. parabole, L. parabola, fr. Gr. ? a
   placing beside or together, a comparing, comparison, a
   parable, fr. ? to throw beside, compare; ? beside + ? to
   throw; cf. Skr. gal to drop. Cf. Emblem, Gland,
   Palaver, Parabola, Parley, Parabole, Symbol.]
   A comparison; a similitude; specifically, a short fictitious
   narrative of something which might really occur in life or
   nature, by means of which a moral is drawn; as, the parables
   of Christ. --Chaucer.

         Declare unto us the parable of the tares. --Matt. xiii.
                                                  36.

   Syn: See Allegory, and Note under Apologue.
Parable \Par"a*ble\, v. t.
   To represent by parable. [R.]

         Which by the ancient sages was thus parabled. --Milton.

Source: Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary 

Parable
   (Gr. parabole), a placing beside; a comparison; equivalent to
   the Heb. mashal, a similitude. In the Old Testament this is used
   to denote (1) a proverb (1 Sam. 10:12; 24:13; 2 Chr. 7:20), (2)
   a prophetic utterance (Num. 23:7; Ezek. 20:49), (3) an enigmatic
   saying (Ps. 78:2; Prov. 1:6). In the New Testament, (1) a
   proverb (Mark 7:17; Luke 4:23), (2) a typical emblem (Heb. 9:9;
   11:19), (3) a similitude or allegory (Matt. 15:15; 24:32; Mark
   3:23; Luke 5:36; 14:7); (4) ordinarily, in a more restricted
   sense, a comparison of earthly with heavenly things, "an earthly
   story with a heavenly meaning," as in the parables of our Lord.
   
     Instruction by parables has been in use from the earliest
   times. A large portion of our Lord's public teaching consisted
   of parables. He himself explains his reasons for this in his
   answer to the inquiry of the disciples, "Why speakest thou to
   them in parables?" (Matt. 13:13-15; Mark 4:11, 12; Luke 8:9,
   10). He followed in so doing the rule of the divine procedures,
   as recorded in Matt. 13:13.
   
     The parables uttered by our Lord are all recorded in the
   synoptical (i.e., the first three) Gospels. The fourth Gospel
   contains no parable properly so called, although the
   illustration of the good shepherd (John 10:1-16) has all the
   essential features of a parable. (See List of Parables in
   Appendix.)