history

/ˈhɪstəri/

/ˈhɪstəri/

Other forms: histories

A history is a chronicle of events, like the history of the United States’ mission to put a man on the moon, or the world history class that you have to memorize all those dates for.

History is a noun to describe past events, or an account of something, like the history of New York City. When you describe something as having a history, you’re implying it has an intriguing past. For example, a necklace that’s been passed down through generations has a history. But when you say something's history, what you mean is not that it no longer exists. Your fear of the water is history now that you know how to swim.

Definitions of history

1. noun

   a record or narrative description of past events
   “a history of France”

   synonyms: account, chronicle, story

   types:

   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   historical document, historical paper, historical record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.)

   annals, chronological record

   a chronological account of events in successive years

   biography, life, life history, life story

   an account of the series of events making up a person's life

   recital

   a detailed account or description of something

   folk etymology

   a popular but erroneous etymology

   family history

   part of a patient's medical history in which questions are asked in an attempt to find out whether the patient has hereditary tendencies toward particular diseases

   anamnesis, medical history, medical record

   the case history of a medical patient as recalled by the patient

   autobiography

   a biography of yourself

   hagiography

   a biography that idealizes or idolizes the person (especially a person who is a saint)

   profile

   biographical sketch

   type of:

   record

   anything (such as a document or a phonograph record or a photograph) providing permanent evidence of or information about past events
2. noun

   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”

   type of:

   cognition, knowledge, noesis

   the psychological result of perception and learning and reasoning
3. noun

   the aggregate of past events
   “a critical time in the school's history”

   type of:

   past, past times, yesteryear

   the time that has elapsed
4. noun

   the continuum of events occurring in succession leading from the past to the present and even into the future
   “all of human history”

   type of:

   continuum

   a continuous nonspatial whole or extent or succession in which no part or portion is distinct or distinguishable from adjacent parts
5. noun

   the discipline that records and interprets past events involving human beings
   “he teaches Medieval history”

   “history takes the long view”

   type of:

   arts, humanistic discipline, humanities, liberal arts

   studies intended to provide general knowledge and intellectual skills (rather than occupational or professional skills)