exemplum

exemplum [ig-zem-pluh m] ExamplesWord Origin 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 exemplum Historical Examples of exemplum

Transeat in exemplum—Let it stand as a precedent, or an example.

Dictionary of Quotations from Ancient and Modern, English and Foreign Sources

James Wood

This story is a sort of exemplum of the sin of pride and avarice.

Filipino Popular Tales

Dean S. Fansler

Certainly the convent never went to sleep in a sermon which had the tale of Chauntecleer and Pertelote for its exemplum.

Medieval English Nunneries c. 1275 to 1535

Eileen Edna Power

Exemplum: As David of Trebizond has told me, when they wipe out the population of a city, they know there will be a few survivors.

The Saracen: Land of the Infidel

Robert Shea

Mr. De Morgan says “Plato,” but to prevent confusion I have kept to my own exemplum.

A System of Logic: Ratiocinative and Inductive

John Stuart Mill

British Dictionary definitions for exemplum 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