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What type of anecdotes did 6th-century historian Procopius tell in his book Anekdota?

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anecdote

American  

[an-ik-doht] / ˈæn ɪkˌdoʊt /

noun

• anecdotes,
  plural
• anecdota
  plural

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.

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anecdote British  

/ ˈænɪkˌdəʊt /

noun

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

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• anecdotalist
  noun
• anecdotic
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• anecdota
  plural
• anecdotes
  plural

Etymology

Origin of anecdote

First recorded in 1670–80; from New Latin anecdota or French anecdotes, from Late Greek, Greek anékdota “things unpublished” (referring particularly to Procopius's unpublished memoirs of Justinian and Theodora), neuter plural of anékdotos, equivalent to an- an- ¹ + ékdotos “given out,” adjective derivative of ekdidónai “to give out,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

Compare meaning

How does anecdote compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• anecdote vs. antidote

Explanation

A short, amusing true story is an anecdote. You might come back from a crazy spring break with a lot of anecdotes to tell. The roots of anecdote lie in the Greek word anekdota, meaning "unpublished." The word's original sense in English was "secret or private stories" — tales not fit for print, so to speak. It can still have connotations of unreliability, as in the phrase "anecdotal information." But the most common sense today is that of "a funny story about something that happened."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

anecdote anecdota anecdotes

Throughout the show, his chosen family is on stage with him, punctuating his stories with songs that give each anecdote an emotional button.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2026

The point is to be wary of argument by anecdote, since the trading database is a big haystack, and journalists are pattern-seeking animals.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026

One New York Times report made the rounds particularly because of its opening anecdote about the candidate disappearing at a critical juncture because he needed a nap.

From Slate ● Jun. 2, 2026

While we’re on the topic of Brin and Lake Tahoe, let me share another early anecdote that illuminates the mindset I’m referring to, and that I wrote about way back in 1999.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 1, 2026

He avoids any anecdote or symbolism that might limit us to a single interpretation.

From "History of Art, Volume 1" by H.W. Janson

Fortunately, Benson has been so diligent in gathering papers and anecdota that he escapes from his own simplifications.

From Time Magazine Archive

Happily, this soon gives way to anecdota and reminiscence.

From Time Magazine Archive

Of such anecdota there are many collections; the earliest was probably L. A. Muratori's, in 1709.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 2, Part 1, Slice 1 by Various

"We've known from anecdotes for 100 years that vipers tend to be resistant to their own venom," Carroll said.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 8, 2026

WSJ readers weighed in on the trend with anecdotes, opinions, and of course, a few jokes.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 3, 2026

Eastern, and the Federal Reserve’s beige book of economic anecdotes, due at 2 p.m.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 2, 2026

“Show me the data. I have feelings about this. There’s anecdotes about this. But I want to see the data. And I made that point at the regental level.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 27, 2026

I probably have about an hour until dinner, which means an hour of trying to spin my school day into a string of hilarious anecdotes.

From "Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda" by Becky Albertalli

Related Words

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