'apologue' originates from French, specifically the word 'apologue', ultimately from Latin 'apologus' and Greek 'ἀπόλογος' ('apologos'), where the Greek elements 'apo-' meant 'away' and 'logos' meant 'word' or 'story'.

'apologue' changed from Greek 'ἀπόλογος' ('apologos') to Latin 'apologus', then appeared in French as 'apologue' and was borrowed into English (via French) as 'apologue'.

Initially it meant 'a narrative or tale' in Greek, but over time it evolved to the more specific modern English meaning of 'a short story or fable that conveys a moral'.