history

[his-tuh-ree, his-tree]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR history ON THESAURUS.COM

noun, plural his·to·ries.

the branch of knowledge dealing with past events.

a continuous, systematic narrative of past events as relating to a particular people, country, period, person, etc., usually written as a chronological account; chronicle: a history of France; a medical history of the patient.

the aggregate of past events.

the record of past events and times, especially in connection with the human race.

a past notable for its important, unusual, or interesting events: a ship with a history.

acts, ideas, or events that will or can shape the course of the future; immediate but significant happenings: Firsthand observers of our space program see history in the making.

a systematic account of any set of natural phenomena without particular reference to time: a history of the American eagle.

a drama representing historical events: Shakespeare's comedies, histories, and tragedies.

Origin of history

1350–1400; Middle English historie < Latin historia < Greek historía “learning or knowing by inquiry, history”; derivative of hístōr “one who knows or sees” (akin to wit², video, Veda )

Related formsun·der·his·to·ry, noun, plural un·der·his·to·ries.un·his·to·ry, noun, plural un·his·to·ries.

Synonyms for history

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR history ON THESAURUS.COM

2. record, annals.

Synonym study

2. See narrative.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for history

past, story, account, tale, record, annals, relation, biography, yesteryear, yesterday, antiquity, autobiography, recapitulation, saga, journal, narrative, recital, version, diary, narration

Examples from the Web for history

Contemporary Examples of history

As an example of good science-and-society policymaking, the history of fluoride may be more of a cautionary tale.
Anti-Fluoriders Are The OG Anti-Vaxxers
Michael Schulson
July 27, 2016
Certain features of its history suggest why this may be the case.
Anti-Fluoriders Are The OG Anti-Vaxxers
Michael Schulson
July 27, 2016
The well, ghost or no ghost, is certainly a piece of history with a bold presence.
New York’s Most Tragic Ghost Loves Minimalist Swedish Fashion
Nina Strochlic
January 8, 2015
Andy Serkis, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes Do you want to be on the wrong side of history, Academy?
Oscars 2015: The Daily Beast’s Picks, From Scarlett Johansson to ‘Boyhood’
Marlow Stern
January 6, 2015
Finding the shop is a trip in itself and an introduction to a slice of history.
The Photographer Who Gave Up Manhattan for Marrakech
Liza Foreman
January 6, 2015

Historical Examples of history

The History of Man is the record of a hungry creature in search of food.
Ancient Man
Hendrik Willem van Loon
This is a record and result that no careful student of our history will, I take it, deny.
'Tis Sixty Years Since
Charles Francis Adams
There, for the first time in history, man had ceased to be a roving animal.
Ancient Man
Hendrik Willem van Loon
History tells us of glorious friendships in the ancient world.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, No. 327
Various
Our present financial condition is without a parallel in history.
United States Presidents' Inaugural Speeches
Various

British Dictionary definitions for history

history

noun plural -ries

a record or account, often chronological in approach, of past events, developments, etc
(as modifier)a history book; a history play

all that is preserved or remembered of the past, esp in written form

the discipline of recording and interpreting past events involving human beings

past events, esp when considered as an aggregate

an event in the past, esp one that has been forgotten or reduced in importancetheir quarrel was just history

the past, background, previous experiences, etc, of a thing or personthe house had a strange history

computing a stored list of the websites that a user has recently visited

a play that depicts or is based on historical events

a narrative relating the events of a character's lifethe history of Joseph Andrews

Abbreviation (for senses 1–3): hist

Word Origin for history

C15: from Latin historia, from Greek: enquiry, from historein to narrate, from histōr judge

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for history

late 14c., "relation of incidents" (true or false), from Old French estoire, estorie "chronicle, history, story" (12c., Modern French histoire), from Latin historia "narrative of past events, account, tale, story," from Greek historia "a learning or knowing by inquiry; an account of one's inquiries, history, record, narrative," from historein "inquire," from histor "wise man, judge," from PIE *wid-tor-, from root *weid- "to know," literally "to see" (see vision).

Related to Greek idein "to see," and to eidenai "to know." In Middle English, not differentiated from story; sense of "record of past events" probably first attested late 15c. As a branch of knowledge, from 1842. Sense of "systematic account (without reference to time) of a set of natural phenomena" (1560s) is now obsolete except in natural history.

One difference between history and imaginative literature ... is that history neither anticipates nor satisfies our curiosity, whereas literature does. [Guy Davenport, "Wheel Ruts," 1996]

Idioms and Phrases with history

history

see ancient history; go down (in history); make history; (history) repeats itself.