English
parabole
Parabole comes from Ancient Greek παραβολή ‘juxtaposition, comparison’, from παραβάλλω ‘to set side by side’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *gʷelH- ‘to hit by throwing’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*gʷelH-1‘to hit by throwing’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*gʷl̥-ne-h₁-1reconstructed
- Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*gʷəlnō1reconstructed
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEβάλλω2‘to throw’
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEπαραβάλλω3‘to set side by side’
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEπαραβολή4parabolḗ‘juxtaposition, comparison’
- Englishearliest quotation 1835parabole4
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, Ancient Greek βάλλω
- 2 Wiktionary, Ancient Greek παραβάλλω
- 3 Wiktionary, Ancient Greek παραβολή
- 4 Wiktionary, English parabole
- Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1835, Larret Langley, [Rhetorical Figures.] Parabole.: “Parabole, to illustrate a thing, compares; Like, as, so,…”.
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*gʷelH-Wiktionary, Ancient Greek βάλλω‘to hit by throwing’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*gʷl̥-ne-h₁-Wiktionary, Ancient Greek βάλλωreconstructed
- Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*gʷəlnōWiktionary, Ancient Greek βάλλωreconstructed
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEβάλλωWiktionary, Ancient Greek παραβάλλω‘to throw’
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEπαραβάλλωWiktionary, Ancient Greek παραβολή‘to set side by side’
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEπαραβολήWiktionary, English paraboleparabolḗ‘juxtaposition, comparison’
- Englishearliest quotation 1835paraboleWiktionary, English parabole. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1835, Larret Langley, [Rhetorical Figures.] Parabole.: “Parabole, to illustrate a thing, compares; Like, as, so,…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *gʷelH- ‘to hit by throwing’
ball, quail, quill, quell, obelisk, pul, 65 more
through Proto-Hellenic *gʷəlnō
symbolic, ballistic, ballista, symbolist, 36 more
through Ancient Greek βάλλω ‘to throw’
problem, devil, symbol, emblem, metabolic, hyperbolic, embolism, anabolic, metabolize, hyperbola, 35 more
through Ancient Greek παραβολή ‘juxtaposition, comparison’
Today it means
noun —
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “parabole”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Ancient Greek βάλλω, Ancient Greek παραβάλλω, Ancient Greek παραβολή. 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 *gʷelH- / parabole