Senses
- 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.
- 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.]synonyms: Chronicle; annals; relation; narration."Justly Cæsar 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.]
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.
Etymology: 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
