parable

n. proverb, short tale that teaches a moral lesson; riddle, enigma; allegory, symbolic story

A parable is a brief, succinct story, in prose or verse, that illustrates a moral or religious lesson. It differs from a fable in that fables use animals, plants, inanimate objects, and forces of nature as actors while parables generally are stories featuring human actors or agents. Some scholars of the New Testament use the term "parable" only to refer to the parables of Jesus, although that is not a common restriction of the term.
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Noun
1. a short moral story (often with animal characters)
(synonym) fable, allegory, apologue
(hypernym) story
(hyponym) Aesop's fables
2. (New Testament) any of the stories told by Jesus to convey his religious message; "the parable of the prodigal son"
(hypernym) story
(classification) New Testament

(v. t.)
To represent by parable.
  

(n.)
A comparison; a similitude; specifically, a short fictitious narrative of something which might really occur in life or nature, by means of which a moral is drawn; as, the parables of Christ.
  

(a.)
Procurable.
  

a parable; governing