anecdote

[an-ik-doht]

noun

plural

anecdotes, anecdota 

1. a short account of a particular incident or event, especially of an interesting or amusing nature.

2. a short, obscure historical or biographical account.

anecdote

/ ˈænɪkˌdəʊt /

noun

1. a short usually amusing account of an incident, esp a personal or biographical one

Other Word Forms

• anecdotic adjective
• anecdotalist noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of anecdote¹

First recorded in 1670–80; from New Latin anecdota or French anecdotes, from Late Greek, Greek anékdota “things unpublished” (referring particularly to Procopius's unpublished memoirs of Justinian and Theodora), neuter plural of anékdotos, equivalent to an- an- ¹ + ékdotos “given out,” adjective derivative of ekdidónai “to give out, publish” ( ek- ec- + didónai “to give”)

Word History and Origins

Origin of anecdote¹

C17: from Medieval Latin anecdota unpublished items, from Greek anekdotos unpublished, from _an- + ekdotos published, from ekdidonai, from ek- out + didonai to give

Example Sentences

Treasury yields fall in Asian trade after the Federal Reserve’s Beige Book, a summary of regional economic anecdotes, confirmed expectations of further interest-rate cuts.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The latest edition of the Federal Reserve’s beige book, which compiles anecdotes from central bankers around the country, reported mounting price pressures across many regions and elevated uncertainty that continued to weigh down activity.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Back when he was first elected to the speakership, David Kirkpatrick of the New Yorker interviewed Johnson and shared this anecdote, which illustrates how he operates:

Read more on Salon

And, if the anecdotes of people I know are anything to go by, the bug going round seems to be a particularly nasty one.

Read more on BBC

The book is heavy on bold-face prescription and relatively light on argument and anecdote, so it’s more of a flip-through than a sit-down.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• episode 
• gag 
• narration 
• narrative 
• reminiscence 
• short story 
• sketch 
• tale 
• tall tale 
• yarn