history

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   The study of past events, especially in human affairs.

   They teach medieval history at the university.

2. 2
   noun

   All the events that happened in the past.

   It was a critical time in the school's history.

3. 3
   noun

   A written or spoken account of past events.

   He wrote a history of France.

4. 4
   noun

   The set of past events connected with a particular person or thing.

   The patient has a long history of heart problems.

Appears in

Simplified etymology

History, in English since the Middle English period, comes more immediately from Greek historia, “finding out, narrative, history,” and ultimately from an ancient root associated with seeing and knowing. Early English history could mean any narrative or story, without necessarily implying that it was factual.

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.

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External links

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