exempla

exempla [ig-zem-pluh] Examples noun

1. plural of exemplum.

exemplum [ig-zem-pluh m] noun, plural ex·em·pla [ig-zem-pluh] /ɪgˈzɛm plə/.

1. an example or model.
2. an anecdote that illustrates or supports a moral point, as in a medieval sermon.

Origin of exemplum 1885–90; Late Latin, Latin: literally, a pattern, model, copy Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019 Examples from the Web for exempla Historical Examples of exempla

Exempla, in at least five Books, treating of the history of Roman manners.

The Student’s Companion to Latin Authors

George Middleton

Exempla duo, quæ pravitatis humanæ vim animo meo luculenter exhibent, non proferre non possum.

A Practical View of the Prevailing Religious System of Professed Christians, in the Middle and Higher Classes in this Country, Contrasted with Real Christianity.

William Wilberforce

The Exempla, in five books, was a history of Roman manners and customs.

A History of Roman Literature

Harold North Fowler

Caesarius narrates a great many other exempla concerning nuns, but I have quoted the most characteristic.

Medieval English Nunneries c. 1275 to 1535

Eileen Edna Power

Quare visum illis hoc ad tempus subticeri posse, cum alia Exempla resuscitatorum suppeterent.

Six Discourses on the Miracles of our Saviour

Thomas Woolston

British Dictionary definitions for exempla exemplum noun plural -pla (-plə)

1. an anecdote that supports a moral point or sustains an argument, used esp in medieval sermons
2. an example or illustration

Word Origin for exemplum from Latin: example Collins English Dictionary – Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012