ˈfablēˌō noun
also fa·bleau faˈblō
( plural fabli·aux also fa·bleaux -ō(z))
Etymology: French, from Old French fablel, fableau, fabliau, diminutive of fable
: a short metrical tale of a type composed chiefly by jongleurs for and about the lower classes ; also : the genre of such metrical tales being usually comic, frankly coarse, and often cynical especially in their treatment of women