anthology

American  

[an-thol-uh-jee] / ænˈθɒl ə dʒi /

noun

anthologies plural

1. a book or other collection of selected writings by various authors, usually in the same literary form, of the same period, or on the same subject.

   an anthology of Elizabethan drama; an anthology of modern philosophy.

2. a collection of selected writings by one author.

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anthology British  

/ ˌænθəˈlɒdʒɪkəl, ænˈθɒlədʒɪ /

noun

1. a collection of literary passages or works, esp poems, by various authors

2. any printed collection of literary pieces, songs, works of art, etc

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• anthologist
  noun
• anthological
  adjective
• anthologically
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• anthologies
  plural

Etymology

Origin of anthology

First recorded in 1630–40; from Latin anthologia, from Greek: “collection of poems,” literally, “gathering of flowers,” from anthológ(os) “flower-gathering” ( antho- antho- + -logos, adjective derivative of légein “to gather, recount, say, speak”) + -ia -ia

Explanation

A collection of writings is an anthology. The heavy textbooks that span the literature of an entire culture and that school children transport in over-sized backpacks with wheels? Those are anthologies. An anthology used to be just a collection of poetry, and the word came from the 17th-century Greek word anthologia for "flower gathering" or "collecting." A contemporary anthology can include anything from classic literature to rap music lyrics. Often an anthology focuses on one type, or genre, of writing, as in an anthology of horse riding haikus, or even an anthology of writings on writing. However, sometimes textbook-style anthologies — like Global Literature — will ambitiously try to include works from writers throughout the ages and from throughout the world.

Example Sentences

My first book was “Some Collages,” which I got to design with Arielle de Saint Phalle and the people from Anthology, who published it.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 28, 2025

“The next Norton Anthology of African American preaching is probably 20 years away, but that sermon will be in there.”

From Seattle Times • Apr. 28, 2024

Two hours later, Swift surprised fans by issuing a second volume, titled The Anthology, containing 15 extra tracks.

From BBC • Apr. 26, 2024

Dessner's production, or ability to draw attention to Swift's vocals is the triumph in "The Anthology."

From Salon • Apr. 19, 2024

And besides, it wasn’t like the world was waiting with bated breath to read yet another essay about the importance of characterization in Spoon River Anthology.

From "Far from the Tree" by Robin Benway