παραβολαῖς [12 verses](noun pl fem dat)  "Parable" is from parabole, which means "comparison," "illustration," and "analogy." It is most often translated in the NT as "parable" but occasionally as "comparison."  The Greek word for educational stories is "παραμύθια" (paramythia), which primarily means to "encourage" but was used to describe instructive stories, such a Aesop's Fables. -- (UW) "Parable" is Greek for "analogy," "comparison," and "illustration." It is the Greek source of our word "parable." It doesn't mean simply "educational story" as it has come to mean in English. The Greek word for educational stories is a different word, which primarily means to "encourage" but was used to describe instructive stories, such a Aesop's Fables. UW --Untranslated Word -- "Parables" means "comparison." "Parables" is an untranslated Greek word adopted into English.