Adjacent Words

History definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

HIS'TORY, n. [L. historia; Gr. knowing, learned, and to inquire, to explore, to learn by inspection or inquiry.]
1. An account of facts, particularly of facts respecting nations or states; a narration of events in the order in which they happened,with their causes and effects. History differs from annals. Annals relate simply the facts and events of each year, in strict chronological order, without any observations of the annalist. History regards less strictly the arrangement of events under each year, and admits the observations of the writer. This distinction however is not always regarded with strictness.
History is of different kinds, or treats of different subjects; as a history of government or political history; history of the christian church, or ecclesiastical history; history of war and conquests, or military history; history of law; history of commerce; history of the crusades, etc. In these and similar examples, history is written narrative or relation. What is the history of nations, but a narrative of the follies, crimes and miseries of man?
1. Narration; verbal relation of facts or events; story. We listen with pleasure to the soldier or the seaman, giving a history of his adventures.
What histories of toil could I declare?
2. Knowledge of facts and events.
History--is necessary to divines.
3. Description; an account of things that exist; as natural history, which comprehends a description of the works of nature, particularly of animals, plants and minerals; a history of animals, or zoology; a history of plants.
4. An account of the origin, life and actions of an individual person. We say, we have a concise history of the prisoner in the testimony offered to the court.
A formal written account of an individual's life, is called biography.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: the aggregate of past events; "a critical time in the school's history"
2: a record or narrative description of past events; "a history of France"; "he gave an inaccurate account of the plot to kill the president"; "the story of exposure to lead" [syn: history, account, chronicle, story]
3: the discipline that records and interprets past events involving human beings; "he teaches Medieval history"; "history takes the long view"
4: the continuum of events occurring in succession leading from the past to the present and even into the future; "all of human history"
5: all that is remembered of the past as preserved in writing; a body of knowledge; "the dawn of recorded history"; "from the beginning of history"

Merriam Webster's

noun (plural -ries) Etymology: Middle English histoire, historie, from Anglo-French estoire, histoire, from Latin historia, from Greek, inquiry, history, from hist?r, ist?r knowing, learned; akin to Greek eidenai to know — more at wit Date: 14th century 1. tale, story 2. a. a chronological record of significant events (as affecting a nation or institution) often including an explanation of their causes b. a treatise presenting systematically related natural phenomena c. an account of a patient's medical background d. an established record <a prisoner with a history of violence> 3. a branch of knowledge that records and explains past events <medieval history> 4. a. events that form the subject matter of a history b. events of the past c. one that is finished or done for <the winning streak was history> <you're history> d. previous treatment, handling, or experience (as of a metal)

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. (pl. -ies) 1 a continuous, usu. chronological, record of important or public events. 2 a the study of past events, esp. human affairs. b the total accumulation of past events, esp. relating to human affairs or to the accumulation of developments connected with a particular nation, person, thing, etc. (our island history; the history of astronomy). 3 an eventful past (this house has a history). 4 a a systematic or critical account of or research into a past event or events etc. b a similar record or account of natural phenomena. 5 a historical play. Phrases and idioms: make history 1 influence the course of history. 2 do something memorable. Etymology: ME f. L historia f. Gk historia finding out, narrative, history f. histor learned, wise man, rel. to WIT(2)

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

History His"to*ry, n.; pl. Histories. [L. historia, Gr. 'istori`a history, information, inquiry, fr. 'istwr, "istwr, knowing, learned, from the root of ? to know; akin to E. wit. See Wit, and cf. Story.] 1. A learning or knowing by inquiry; the knowledge of facts and events, so obtained; hence, a formal statement of such information; a narrative; a description; a written record; as, the history of a patient's case; the history of a legislative bill. 2. A systematic, written account of events, particularly of those affecting a nation, institution, science, or art, and usually connected with a philosophical explanation of their causes; a true story, as distinguished from a romance; -- distinguished also from annals, which relate simply the facts and events of each year, in strict chronological order; from biography, which is the record of an individual's life; and from memoir, which is history composed from personal experience, observation, and memory. Histories are as perfect as the historian is wise, and is gifted with an eye and a soul. --Carlyle. For aught that I could ever read, Could ever hear by tale or history. --Shak. What histories of toil could I declare! --Pope. History piece, a representation in painting, drawing, etc., of any real event, including the actors and the action. Natural history, a description and classification of objects in nature, as minerals, plants, animals, etc., and the phenomena which they exhibit to the senses. Syn: Chronicle; annals; relation; narration. Usage: History, Chronicle, Annals. History is a methodical record of important events which concern a community of men, usually so arranged as to show the connection of causes and effects, to give an analysis of motive and action etc. A chronicle is a record of such events, conforming to the order of time as its distinctive feature. Annals are a chronicle divided up into separate years. By poetic license annals is sometimes used for history. Justly C[ae]sar scorns the poet's lays; It is to history he trusts for praise. --Pope. No more yet of this; For 't is a chronicle of day by day, Not a relation for a breakfast. --Shak. Many glorious examples in the annals of our religion. --Rogers.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

History His"to*ry, v. t. To narrate or record. [Obs.] --Shak.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(histories) Frequency: The word is one of the 700 most common words in English. 1. You can refer to the events of the past as history. You can also refer to the past events which concern a particular topic or place as its history. The Catholic Church has played a prominent role throughout Polish history. ...the most evil mass killer in history. ...the history of Birmingham. N-UNCOUNT: usu with supp • Someone who makes history does something that is considered to be important and significant in the development of the world or of a particular society. Willy Brandt made history by visiting East Germany in 1970. PHRASE: V inflects • If someone or something goes down in history, people in the future remember them because of particular actions that they have done or because of particular events that have happened. Bradley will go down in history as Los Angeles' longest serving mayor. PHRASE: V inflects 2. History is a subject studied in schools, colleges, and universities that deals with events that have happened in the past. N-UNCOUNT 3. A history is an account of events that have happened in the past. ...his magnificent history of broadcasting in Canada. N-COUNT: with supp, oft N of n 4. If a person or a place has a history of something, it has been very common or has happened frequently in their past. He had a history of drink problems... N-COUNT: usu sing, usu a N of n/-ing 5. Someone's history is the set of facts that are known about their past. He couldn't get a new job because of his medical history. N-COUNT: with poss 6. If you say that an event, thing, or person is history, you mean that they are no longer important. The Charlottetown agreement is history. N-UNCOUNT 7. If you are telling someone about an event and say the rest is history, you mean that you do not need to tell them what happened next because everyone knows about it already. We met at college, the rest is history. PHRASE 8. see also natural history

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

n. Account, narration, narrative, relation, record, recital, story, chronicle, annals.

Foolish Dictionary

The evil that men do.

Moby Thesaurus

Clio, Muse of history, account, adventures, ancient history, annals, antiquity, autobiography, background, biographical sketch, biography, bygone days, bygone times, case history, catalog, chronicle, chronicles, chronology, confessions, correspondence, curriculum vitae, days gone by, days of yore, dead letter, dead past, depiction, description, diary, documentation, epic, experience, experiences, foretime, former times, fortunes, hagiography, hagiology, historiography, information, intelligence, inventory, journal, legend, letters, life, life and letters, life story, list, martyrology, memoir, memoirs, memorabilia, memorial, memorials, narration, narrative, necrology, news, obituary, old hat, past, past history, past times, photobiography, pipe roll, portrayal, profile, recapitulation, recent past, recital, record, recording, register, registry, relation, relic, remains, report, representation, resume, retailing, retelling, roll, rolls, roster, rota, saga, scroll, story, summary, table, tale, telling, the irrevocable Past, the past, theory of history, thou unrelenting past, times past, token, trace, version, vestige, yesterday, yesteryear