From Latin 'fabula' (a story told), from 'fari' (to speak) — same root as 'fame,' 'fate,' and 'infant' (one who cannot speak).
A short story, typically featuring animals as characters, conveying a moral; more broadly, a legendary or fictitious narrative.
From Old French 'fable' (story, fable, lie), from Latin 'fabula' (story, narrative, tale, literally 'that which is told'), from 'fari' (to speak, to say) with the diminutive/instrumental suffix '-bula.' The Latin 'fari' descends from PIE *bʰeh₂- (to speak), which also produced Greek 'phōnē' (voice, sound), 'prophētēs' (prophet, one who speaks forth), and English 'ban' and 'fame.' The sense development from 'something spoken' to 'a fictitious story' reflects the ancient association between oral narrative and
The words 'fable,' 'fame,' 'fate,' and 'infant' all come from the same PIE root *bʰeh₂- (to speak). 'Fame' is literally 'what is spoken about you,' 'fate' is 'what has been spoken' (by the gods), and an 'infant' is 'one who cannot yet speak' (Latin in- + fans). Even 'predict' belongs to this family through Latin