English
fabula
Fabula comes from Latin fabula ‘story’, from Proto-Italic *fāōr ‘to speak’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰeh₂-.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰeh₂-1‘to speak’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰéh₂ti1‘to speak, to be talking’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*fāōr1‘to speak’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEfor1
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEfabula2‘story’
- Englishtodayfabula2
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, Latin fabula
- 2 Wiktionary, English fabula
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰeh₂-Wiktionary, Latin fabula‘to speak’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰéh₂tiWiktionary, Latin fabula‘to speak, to be talking’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*fāōrWiktionary, Latin fabula‘to speak’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEforWiktionary, Latin fabula
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEfabulaWiktionary, English fabula‘story’
- EnglishtodayfabulaWiktionary, English fabula
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *bʰeh₂- ‘to speak’
phone, focus, professor, fuel, ben, phase, famous, ban, favourite, favor, fantasy, photographer, emphasis, phenomenon, profession, bee, fancy, fate, fame, confession, fatal, confess, fairy, abandon, phantom, symphony, infant, beacon, beck, boon, bane, epiphany, foyer, banish, fay, profess, bene, banal, nefarious, phenomenology, 122 more
through Proto-Indo-European *bʰéh₂ti ‘to speak, to be talking’
through Latin for
eff, affable, ineffable, 12 more
through Latin fabula ‘story’
Today it means
noun A series of events forming the basis of a story or narrative.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “fabula”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Latin fabula. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *bʰeh₂- / fabula