Skip to main content

Mashal (משל) means parable in Hebrew.

It can also mean allegory and fable. It is a masculine noun, and the Hebrew dictionary's own definitions are below.

מָשָׁל
mashal
noun · masculine
In English

parable, allegory, fable

The stress falls on the part in bold.

The Hebrew dictionaryWords starting with מ

The dictionary gives one meaning for Mashal.

The definitions are in Hebrew, as the dictionary writes them.

  1. 1
    אמרה או סיפור בעלי משמעות מרובת רבדים ומסועפת. בדרך כלל נעשה שימוש בדימויים ולשון מליצית.
    וַיִּשָּׂא מְשָׁלוֹ וַיֹּאמַר נְאֻם בִּלְעָם בְּנוֹ בְעֹר וּנְאֻם הַגֶּבֶר שְׁתֻם הָעָיִן.

The verses are quoted from the Hebrew Bible, with the word in bold.

The word Mashal is a masculine noun.

Written with vowel points
מָשָׁל
Written without vowel points
משל
Said
mashal
Root
מ־ש־ל
Pattern
קָטָל
Plural
מְשָׁלִים
Inflections
מְשָׁל־; ר'מְשָׁלִים, מִשְׁלֵי־
Gematria
370

This is how Mashal is said in other languages.

English
parable, allegory, fable

These words mean nearly the same as Mashal.

  • אלגוריה

A word with a dashed border has no page of its own in this dictionary yet.

These words mean the opposite of Mashal.

  • נמשל

A word with a dashed border has no page of its own in this dictionary yet.

These words rhyme with Mashal.

The word Mashal comes from the root מ־ש־ל, like these words.

This is where the word Mashal comes from.

מילה מקראית. המשמע המקורי של השורש הינו דמיון, 'היה דומה ל־', ובמקבילה באכדית 4335 או ערבית مَثَلَ – השווה, משם גם 'דיבר במשלים'. שמות העצם גם קיימים באכדית 3958 וערבית مَثَل – אמרה, פתגם וגם דוגמה. השורש גם קיים בארמית (עם חילוף אותיות שׁ↔ת בין עברית↔ארמית): פועל מתל 'השווה', שם עצם מתל 'משל, פתגם'.

These words come before and after Mashal in the dictionary.

These are the questions people ask about the word Mashal.

What does Mashal (⁨משל⁩) mean in Hebrew?

Mashal (⁨משל⁩) means parable, allegory, and fable. It is said mashal, with the stress on shal.

What is a synonym for Mashal (⁨משל⁩)?

Words that mean nearly the same as Mashal (⁨משל⁩) are ⁨אלגוריה⁩.

What is the opposite of Mashal (⁨משל⁩)?

Words that mean the opposite of Mashal (⁨משל⁩) are ⁨נמשל⁩.

What rhymes with Mashal (⁨משל⁩)?

Words that rhyme with Mashal (⁨משל⁩) include ⁨מאכל⁩, ⁨קל⁩, ⁨על⁩, ⁨חלל⁩, ⁨חשמל⁩, and ⁨פעל⁩.

The definitions, pronunciation, synonyms and translations on this page are adapted from the entry משל of the Hebrew Wiktionary, read on 1 November 2026, and are shared under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.

Keep exploring