Hypertext Webster Gateway: "history"

From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)

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.

From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)

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

From WordNet (r) 1.7 (wn)

history
n 1: the aggregate of past events: "a critical time in the
school's history"
2: the continuum of events occurring in succession leading from
the past to the present and even into the future: "all of
human history"
3: 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:
{account}, {chronicle}, {story}]
4: the discipline that records and interprets past events
involving human beings: "he teaches Medieval history";
"history takes the long view"
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"


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