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Glite Dictionary
epimythium

epimythium

1 9.9
A short sentence that gives the moral of a story
  • noun
  • /ˌɛpɪˈmɪθiəm/
  • Literature
: epimythium
  • The fable ends with an epimythium that teaches the value of honesty.

Examples

  • The epimythium of the fable taught us to be kind.

  • Aesop's tales often include an epimythium summarizing their message.

  • After the narrative, the author added an epimythium to clarify the intended lesson.

  • Many stories include an epimythium to convey a lesson.

  • The teacher asked the students to write an epimythium that highlighted the story's main lesson.

  • In her fable, the author concluded with an epimythium that reminded readers about the importance of honesty.

  • After the tale of the fox and the grapes, the epimythium emphasized that pride can lead to downfall.

Synonyms

moral of the story
vsepimythium
13 2.8

A lesson you learn from a story or event

is a brief closing statement that states the lesson at the story end

Surface Forms

epimythium singular
epimythia plural

Morphology

epimythium = myth (opaque) = epi + myth + ium

The prefix 'epi-' and root 'myth' are recognizable, but the specific meaning of a moral statement at the end of a fable is not directly derivable from its parts.

Etymology

The word epimythium comes from the Greek parts epi- meaning 'after' and myth meaning 'story' or 'tale'. So an epimythium is the short statement at the end of a fable that gives the moral or lesson.