fabliau · noun — A short, farcical, often bawdy tale of a genre written in the North of France in the 12th, 13th and 14th centuries. It carries an Arena rating of 1588, earned across 5 head-to-head judged battles.
Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, fabliau ranks #875 of 17,115 for Most Storied Words, #1,351 of 17,157 for Most Exacting Words, #2,796 of 17,153 for Most Whimsical Words, #4,452 of 17,174 for Funniest Words.
Why “fabliau” is a great word
A short, bawdy, and comically realistic verse tale popular in medieval France. From the Old French *fabliau*, a diminutive of *fable* (from Latin *fabula*, "story, tale"). Unlike a 'fable,' which cloaks its moral lesson in animal allegory, or a 'romance,' which exalts chivalric adventure and courtly love, the fabliau is resolutely earthbound. It is the merchant's wife in the flour barrel, the cuckold's pratfall through an unlatched window, and the stolen ham blamed on the cat—a world where cunning, not virtue, is rewarded, and the true human comedy is found not in ideals, but in appetites.
❧ Essay by Lexicurio’s AI · definition, etymology & citations from published sources
Etymology
Learned borrowing from Old French fabliau, diminutive of fable.
noun
- A short, farcical, often bawdy tale of a genre written in the North of France in the 12th, 13th and 14th centuries.e.g.“‘I’m planning a sort of fabliau comparing this place with a fascist state,’ said Sampson, ‘sort of Animal Farm meets Arturo Ui . . .’” — 1991 September, Stephen Fry, chapter 1, in The Liar, London: Heinemann, →ISBN, section I, page 19:
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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