history

his·to·ry  (hst-r)

n. pl. his·to·ries

1. A narrative of events; a story.

2.

a. A chronological record of events, as of the life or development of a people or institution, often including an explanation of or commentary on those events: a history of the Vikings.

b. A formal written account of related natural phenomena: a history of volcanoes.

c. A record of a patient's medical background.

d. An established record or pattern of behavior: an inmate with a history of substance abuse.

3. The branch of knowledge that records and analyzes past events: "History has a long-range perspective" Elizabeth Gurley Flynn.

4.

a. The events forming the subject matter of a historical account.

b. The aggregate of past events or human affairs: basic tools used throughout history.

c. An interesting past: a house with history.

d. Something that belongs to the past: Their troubles are history now.

e. Slang One that is no longer worth consideration: Why should we worry about him? He's history!

5. A drama based on historical events: the histories of Shakespeare.

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[Middle English histoire, from Old French, from Latin historia, from Greek histori, from historein, to inquire, from histr, learned man; see weid- in Indo-European roots.]

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history

Noun

pl -ries

1. a record or account of past events and developments

2. all that is preserved of the past, esp. in written form

3. the study of interpreting past events

4. the past events or previous experiences of a place, thing, or person: he knew the whole history of the place

5. a play that depicts historical events [Greek historia inquiry]

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History

See also antiquity; past

annalist

one who chronicles yearly events; a writer of annals.

chronography

Obsolete, the recording or study of past events.

cliometrics

the application of mathematics, especially statistics, to the study of history. — cliometrician, n.

cyclicism

the belief that history repeats itself, as suggested in the writings of Arnold Toynbee. Also cyclicity. — cyclic, adj.

genealogy

1. a record or account of the ancestry and descent of a person, family, or group.
2. the study of family ancestries or histories.
3. descent from an original form or progenitor; lineage. — genealogist, n. — genealogie, genealogical, adj.

heroology

a work on heroes and their history. — heroologist, n. — heroological, adj.

historicism

1. a theory that history is determined by immutable laws.
2. a theory that all cultural phenomena are historically determined and that all historians should study a period on its own merits.
3. a search for the laws of historical evolution.
4. a profound or an excessive respect for historical institutions, as traditions or laws. Also historism. — historicist, n., adj.

historiography

1. the body of literature concerned with historical matters.
2. the methods of historical research and presentation.
3. an official history. — historiographer, n. — historiographic, historiographical, adj.

historiology

the study or knowledge of history.

historism

historicism.

medievalist

1. an expert in medieval history, literature, art, architecture, etc.
2. a person devoted to the art, culture, or spirit of the Middle Ages.

monism

the theory that there is only one causal factor in history, as intellect or nature. — monist, n. — monistic, adj.

Orientalist

a specialist in Oriental history, art, literature, etc.

prosopography

1. a biographical sketch containing a description of a person’s appearance, qualities, and history.
2. a collection of such sketches. — prosopographer, n. See also facial features.

protohistory

the earliest period of history, before the time when records were kept. — protohistorical, adj.

revisionism

a movement to reexamine historical information in the light of current knowledge. — revisionist, n., adj.

Thesaurus

Noun	1.	history - the aggregate of past events; "a critical time in the school's history" past, past times, yesteryear - the time that has elapsed; "forget the past" antiquity - the historic period preceding the Middle Ages in Europe historic period, age - an era of history having some distinctive feature; "we live in a litigious age" Dark Ages, Middle Ages - the period of history between classical antiquity and the Italian Renaissance Renaissance, Renascence - the period of European history at the close of the Middle Ages and the rise of the modern world; a cultural rebirth from the 14th through the middle of the 17th centuries
	2.	history - 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" account, chronicle, story history - the discipline that records and interprets past events involving human beings; "he teaches Medieval history"; "history takes the long view" ancient history - a history of the ancient world etymology - a history of a word case history - detailed record of the background of a person or group under study or treatment historical document, historical paper, historical record - writing having historical value (as opposed to fiction or myth etc.) chronological record, annals - a chronological account of events in successive years biography, life history, life story, life - an account of the series of events making up a person's life record - anything (such as a document or a phonograph record or a photograph) providing permanent evidence of or information about past events; "the film provided a valuable record of stage techniques" recital - a detailed account or description of something; "he was forced to listen to a recital of his many shortcomings"
	3.	history - the discipline that records and interprets past events involving human beings; "he teaches Medieval history"; "history takes the long view" Boston Tea Party - demonstration (1773) by citizens of Boston who (disguised as Indians) raided three British ships in Boston harbor and dumped hundreds of chests of tea into the harbor; organized as a protest against taxes on tea arts, humanistic discipline, humanities, liberal arts - studies intended to provide general knowledge and intellectual skills (rather than occupational or professional skills); "the college of arts and sciences" account, chronicle, history, story - 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" historian, historiographer - a person who is an authority on history and who studies it and writes about it Saracen - (historically) a Muslim who opposed the Crusades Saracen - (historically) a member of the nomadic people of the Syrian and Arabian deserts at the time of the Roman Empire
	4.	history - the continuum of events occurring in succession leading from the past to the present and even into the future; "all of human history" continuum - a continuous nonspatial whole or extent or succession in which no part or portion is distinct or distinguishable from adjacent parts
	5.	history - 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" cognition, knowledge, noesis - the psychological result of perception and learning and reasoning

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history

noun 1. the past, the old days, antiquity, yesterday, the good old days, yesteryear, ancient history, olden days, days of old, days of yore, bygone times

noun 2. chronicle, record, story, account, relation, narrative, saga, recital, narration, annals, recapitulation

Translations

history [ˈhɪstərɪ] n → historia;

there's a long history of that illness in his family → esa enfermedad corre en su familia

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history [ˈhɪstərɪ] n → histoire f;

medical history [of patient] → passé médical

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history [ˈhɪstərɪ] n → Geschichte f;

there's a history of heart disease in his family → Herzleiden liegen bei ihm in der Familie;

medical history → Krankengeschichte f

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history [ˈhɪstərɪ] n → storia;

there's a long history of that illness in his family → ci sono molti precedenti (della malattia) nella sua famiglia