history means the aggregate of past events, both unrecorded and recorded.
history is pronounced /ˈhɪs.tə.ɹi/.
Why “history” is a great word
The disciplined inquiry into past human events, reconstructed from the critical scrutiny of sources. From Middle English *historie*, from Old French *estoire, estorie*, from Latin *historia*, from Ancient Greek ἱστορίᾱ (*historíā*, 'learning through research'), from ἱστορέω (*historéō*, 'to research, inquire'), from ἵστωρ (*hístōr*, 'the knowing, wise one'), from Proto-Indo-European *weyd-* ('to see, to know'); attested in Middle English in 1393 by John Gower. Unlike a 'story,' which delights in narrative arc whether true or invented, or a 'myth,' which codifies belief in the supernatural, history stakes its claim on evidence and analysis. It is the chill of a wax seal under a researcher’s thumb, the muted echo in an empty archive corridor, the faint glyph on a potsherd reassembled—the quiet, Sisyphean labour of building a dwelling of knowledge from the river-worn stones of fact.
Etymology
From Middle English historie, from Old French estoire, estorie (“chronicle, history, story”) (French histoire), from Latin historia, from Ancient Greek ἱστορίᾱ (historíā, “learning through research”), from ἱστορέω (historéō, “to research, inquire (and) record”), from ἵστωρ (hístōr, “the knowing, wise one”), from Proto-Indo-European *weyd- (“see, know”). Doublet of story and storey.
Attested in Middle English in 1393 by John Gower, Confessio Amantis, which was aimed at an educated audience familiar with French and Latin.
noun
- The aggregate of past events, both unrecorded and recorded.“The history of mammals stretches back many millions of years.”
- The empirical study of past events, as distinct from literature, myth, or scripture; the assessment of notable events.“He teaches Latin American history at the university and publishes books about the Cold War.”
- The portion of the past that is known and recorded by this field of study, as opposed to all earlier and unknown times that preceded it.“Near-synonym: ages”
- A set of events involving an entity.“a long and sordid history”
- A record or narrative description of past events.“I really enjoyed Shakespeare's tragedies more than his histories.”
- A list of past and continuing medical conditions of an individual or family.“A personal medical history is required for the insurance policy.”
- A record of previous user events, especially of visited web pages in a browser.“I visited a great site yesterday but forgot the URL. Luckily, I didn't clear my history.”
- Something that no longer exists or is no longer relevant.“I told him that if he doesn't get his act together, he's history.”
- Shared experience or interaction.“There is too much history between them for them to split up now.”
- A historically significant event.“You are witnessing history!”
verb
- To narrate or record.“And therefore will hee wipe his Tables cleane,
And keepe no Tell-tale to his Memorie,
That may repeat, and Historie his losse”
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