Alternative forms[]
historie (obsolete) hystory (nonstandard) hystorie (obsolete)
Pronunciation[]
enPR: hĭstōrē, hĭstrē, IPA(key): /ˈhɪstəri/, /ˈhɪstri/ Hyphenation: hist‧o‧ry
Etymology[]
From Middle English, from Old French estoire, estorie (“chronicle, history, story”) (French histoire), from Latin historia, from Ancient Greek ἱστορία (historía, “learning through research, narration of what is learned”), from ἱστορέω (historéō, “to learn through research, to inquire”), from ἵστωρ (hístōr, “the one who knows, the expert”), from *ϝίδτωρ, from Proto-Indo-European *wid- (“wit, knowledge”). Compare story. Attested in Middle English in 1393 by John Gower, Confessio Amantis, which was aimed at an educated audience familiar with French and Latin.
Noun[]
Wikipedia has an article on: History
Wikiversity has a lecture on History history (plural histories) The aggregate of past events. History repeats itself if we don’t learn from its mistakes. The branch of knowledge that studies the past; the assessment of notable events. He teaches history at the university. History will not look kindly on these tyrants. He dreams of an invention that will make history. A set of events involving an entity. What is your medical history?
The family's history includes events best forgotten.
A record or narrative description of past events. (medicine) The list of past and continuing medical conditions of an individual or family. A personal medical history is required for the insurance policy. He has a history of cancer in his family. (computing) A record of previous user events, especially of visited web pages in a browser. I visited a great site yesterday but forgot the URL. Luckily, I didn't clear my history. (informal) Something that no longer exists or is no longer relevant. I told him that if he doesn't get his act together, he's history.
Synonyms[]
(aggregate of past events): background, past (record or narrative description of past events): account, chronicle, story, tale (medicine: list of past and continuing medical conditions): medical history (computing: record of previous user events): log