fabula

Pronunciation

• IPA (Classical): [ˈfaː.bʊ.ɫa]^[1]
• IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈfaː.bu.la]^[1]

Forms

fābula f (genitive fābulae); first declension^[1]

Etymology

It is from the root ⟨fā-⟩ of fārī “to speak” (compare fāma) with the instrument suffix -bula.^[2][1] De Vaan reconstructs Proto-Italic ⟨*fā-þlo-⟩ “story”, from Proto-Indo-European *bʰeh₂- (“to speak”), cognate with Ancient Greek φημί (phēmí, “I say”) and Oscan ⟨faamat⟩.^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

The OLD's earliest citation is Naevius, of a play, and Köbler also begins with Naevius.^[2][4] Köbler dates Naevius c. 235–200 BC.^[4]

Semantic evolution

It meant talk, conversation, gossip, as in Petronius and the proverb lupus in fābulā “speak of the wolf”; a thing said, a report, as in Plautus' quae haec est fābula? “what's this you say?”; a fictitious story, a tale told for entertainment or instruction, a fable; a legend or myth, so fābula est “the story goes”; and in Naevius a play, drama.^[2][5]

In Ecclesiastical Latin it meant a byword, tale, common talk.^[6] Medieval Latin used it for a verbal agreement and a marriage contract.^[7] It survives as Italian favola and fiaba, Spanish habla and Portuguese fala “speech”, and Old French fable is a learned borrowing of it.^[1]

Timeline

• c. 235–200 BC – Naevius uses it of a play.^[2][4]
• c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it of a report.^[2][4]
• 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it of a fictitious tale.^[2][4]
• before 66 AD – Petronius uses it of conversation.^[2][4]

Meanings

Noun

1. Talk, conversation, gossip.^[2][5]
2. A report, account.^[2]
3. A fictitious story, tale, fable.^[2][8]
4. A legend, myth.^[2]
5. A play, drama.^[2]
6. (Medieval Latin) A verbal agreement; a marriage contract.^[7]

Word family

• fabella
• fābulāris
• fābulō
• fābulōsus
• fābulor

Related words

• for
• fāma
• fātum
• English fable

Usage notes

A different făbula, a diminutive of faba “little bean”, occurs once in Plautus.^[5][4]

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
4. ^ a b c d e f g Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
5. ^ a b c Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
6. ^ Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
7. ^ a b Niermeyer, J. F. (1976), Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden: Brill
8. ^ Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press