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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

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First recorded in 1670–80; from New Latin anecdota or French anecdotes, from Late Greek, Greek anékdota “things unpublished” (referring particularly to Procopius's unpublished memoirs of Justinian and Theodora), neuter plural of anékdotos, equivalent to an- an- ¹ + ékdotos “given out,” adjective derivative of ekdidónai “to give out,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

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Compare meaning

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

• anecdote vs. antidote

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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 The roots of anecdote lie in the Greek word anekdota, meaning "unpublished."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

Minutes before we talked, I read this hilarious Wall Street Journal story, which featured an anecdote about Elon Musk’s Grok putting someone’s bank statement into a group Slack channel.

From Slate ● Oct. 14, 2026

As this is basically unheard of, the anecdote plays great on a press tour.

From Salon ● Oct. 5, 2026

The ASA acknowledged in its ruling that the ad "did not explicitly recommend that consumers replace all conventional foods with Huel", but consumers could nonetheless interpret the anecdote as "an acceptable dietary practice".

From BBC ● Sep. 29, 2026

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

An anecdote that Benjamin Rush, the Philadelphia physician and signer of the Declaration of Independence, liked to tell in his old age makes the point memorably.

From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis

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

Bambino’s story is one of many amusing anecdotes recounted by Susannah Fullerton in “Great Writers and the Cats Who Owned Them,” a charming catalog of felines who have helped shape Western literature.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026

Then came an outpouring of recollections, anecdotes and tributes, from all corners of the internet.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026

To determine whether these issues go beyond anecdotes, ProPublica analyzed the data collected from every state by the CDC to look for patterns.

From Salon ● Sep. 13, 2026

For Annie Erickson, 26, who grew up in North Carolina, personal anecdotes, more than school or reports, created her first memories of 9/11.

From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2026

“In all gatherings he at once became the center of attraction, having a ready command of language and a constant fund of amusing anecdotes and experiences.”

From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson

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