Lewis & Short

Parsing inflected forms may not always work as expected. If the following does not give the correct word, try Latin Words or Perseus.

1. fābŭla, ae, f. [fari], a narration, narrative, account, story; the subject of common talk.

  1. I. In gen. (mostly poet. and in post-Aug. prose; syn.: narratio, fasti, annales, res gestae, historia): additur fabulae, quo vulgo Sabini aureas armillas brachio laevo habuerint, pepigisse eam, etc., Liv. 1, 11, 8: poëticae (opp. incorrupta rerum gestarum monumenta), id. praef. § 6: Ummidius, qui tam (non longa est fabula) dives, ut, etc., Hor. S. 1, 1, 95; id. Ep. 1, 2, 6: mutato nomine de te fabula narratur, id. S. 1, 1, 70: asinaeque paternum Cognomen vertas in risum et fabula flas, the common talk, town’s talk, id. Ep. 1, 13, 9; cf.: heu me, per urbem Fabula quanta fui! id. Epod. 11, 8: fabula (nec sentis) tota jactaris in urbe, you are talked of all over the city, Ov. Am. 8, 1, 21; cf. Suet. Aug. 70; id. Dom. 15; Mart. 3, 14: habes omnes fabulas urbis, Plin. Ep. 8, 18, 11: nova fabula, the news, Juv. 1, 145: semper formosis fabula poena fuit, Prop. 2, 32, 26 (3, 30, 26 M.): a diverticulo repetatur fabula, let us return to our story, Juv. 15, 72.
    1. B. Transf., conversation (post-Aug.): ut fabulas quoque eorum et disputationes et arcana semotae dictionis penitus exciperem, conversations, Tac. Or. 2: praeceptores cum auditoribus suis fabulas habent, id. ib. 29; cf.: cum inter fabulas privatas sermo esset ortus, quanti, etc., in private conversation, Lampr. Heliog. 25.
      With a dependent clause: ne id accidat, quod cuipiam Thraco venisse usu, fabula est, is related, Gell. 19, 12, 6.
      1. 2. In vulg. lang. (like the Germ. Geschichte), affair, concern, matter: sed quid ego aspicio? quae haec fabula’st? what sort of an affair is this? Plaut. Pers. 5, 2, 11; Ter. And. 4, 4, 8.
  2. II. In partic. (freq. and class.), a fictitious narrative, a tale, story (syn.: apologus, narratio): narrationum tris accepimus species, fabulam, quae versatur in tragoediis atque carminibus non a veritate modo, sed etiam a forma veritatis remota, argumentumhistoriam, etc., Quint. 2, 4, 2: haec res agetur nobis, vobis fabula, Plaut. Capt. prol. 52: peregrino narrare fabulas, id. Men. 5, 1, 24: num igitur me cogis etiam fabulis credere? quae delectationis habeant quantum volesauctoritatem quidem nullam debemus nec fidem commenticiis rebus adjungere, etc., Cic. Div. 2, 55, 113; cf.: fictis fabulis, id. Mil. 3, 8: antiquitas recepit fabulas, fictas etiam nonnumquam incondite, id. Rep. 2, 10; cf.: a fabulis ad facta venire, id. ib. 2, 2 fin.: minor fabulis habetur fides, id. ib. 2, 10: saepe fabulis fidem firmare (consuerant), Suet. Rhet. 1 med.; Liv. praef. § 6: non fabula rumor Ille fuit, Ov. M. 10, 561: fabulam inceptat, Ter. And. 5, 4, 22: quid tamen ista velit sibi fabula, ede, Hor. S. 2, 5, 61: fabulae! mere stories! stuff! nonsense! Ter. Heaut. 2, 3, 95; id. And. 1, 3, 19: ne convivialium fabularum simplicitas in crimen duceretur, Tac. A. 6, 11 fin.: sufficiunt duae fabulae, an tertiam poscis? Plin. Ep. 2, 20, 9.
    In apposition: jam te premet nox fabulaeque Manes (= fabulosi, inanes), Hor. C. 1, 4, 16: civis et manes et fabula fies, Pers. 5, 152: nos jam fabula sumus, Ter. Hec. 4, 3, 14.
    So of idle tales: ineptas et aniles fabulas devita, Vulg. 1 Tim. 4, 7 al.
    1. B. Of particular kinds of poetry.
      1. 1. Most freq., a dramatic poem, drama, play (syn.: ludus, cantus, actio, etc.): in full, fabula scaenica, Amm. 28, 1, 4; or, theatralis, id. 14, 6, 20: fabula ad actum scenarum composita, Quint. 5, 10, 9; cf. id. 11, 3, 73 sq.: Livianae fabulae non satis dignae, quae iterum legantur. Atque hic Livius primus fabulam, C. Clodio Caeci filio et M. Tuditano Cos. docuit, produced, Cic. Brut. 18, 72; v. doceo, II. init.; cf.: fabulam dare, under do, II. H.; so, facere, Varr. L. L. 5, 8: neque histrioni ut placeat, peragenda fabula est, Cic. de Sen. 19, 70: securus, cadat an recto stet fabula talo, Hor. Ep. 2, 1, 176: neve minor neu sit quinto productior actu Fabula, id. A. P. 190: M. Pacuvii nova fabula, Cic. Lael. 7, 24: Terentii, Hor. S. 1, 2, 21: Attae, id. Ep. 2, 1, 80 et saep.: in fabulis stultissima persona, Cic. Lael. 26, 100 et saep.
        Transf.: non solum unum actum, sed totam fabulam confecissem, Cic. Phil. 2, 14, 34.
      2. 2. A fable (cf. apologus): fabularum cur sit inventum genus Brevi docebo, etc., Phaedr. 3, prol. 33: quae (res) vel apologum, vel fabulam vel aliquam contineat irrisionem, Cic. Inv. 1, 17, 25: nota illa de membris humanis adversus ventrem discordantibus fabula, Quint. 5, 11, 19 (shortly before, fabella) et saep.
        Prov.: Lupus in fabula (like the Engl., talk of the devil, and he will appear), of a person who comes just as we are talking about him, Ter. Ad. 4, 1, 21; Cic. Att. 13, 33, 4; so, lupus in sermone, Plaut. Stich. 4, 1, 71.