history
from
WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006)
history
n 1: the aggregate of past events; "a critical time in the
school's history"
2: 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:
{history}, {account}, {chronicle}, {story}]
3: the discipline that records and interprets past events
involving human beings; "he teaches Medieval history";
"history takes the long view"
4: the continuum of events occurring in succession leading from
the past to the present and even into the future; "all of
human history"
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"
from
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
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}.]
[1913 Webster]
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.
[1913 Webster]
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.
[1913 Webster]
Histories are as perfect as the historian is wise,
and is gifted with an eye and a soul. --Carlyle.
[1913 Webster]
For aught that I could ever read,
Could ever hear by tale or history. --Shak.
[1913 Webster]
What histories of toil could I declare! --Pope.
[1913 Webster]
{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.
[1913 Webster]
Justly C[ae]sar scorns the poet's lays;
It is to history he trusts for praise. --Pope.
[1913 Webster]
No more yet of this;
For 't is a chronicle of day by day,
Not a relation for a breakfast. --Shak.
[1913 Webster]
Many glorious examples in the annals of our
religion. --Rogers.
[1913 Webster]
from
The Devil's Dictionary (1881-1906)
HISTORY, n. An account mostly false, of events mostly unimportant,
which are brought about by rulers mostly knaves, and soldiers mostly
fools.
Of Roman history, great Niebuhr's shown
'Tis nine-tenths lying. Faith, I wish 'twere known,
Ere we accept great Niebuhr as a guide,
Wherein he blundered and how much he lied.
Salder Bupp
from
Bouvier's Law Dictionary, Revised 6th Ed (1856)
HISTORY, evidence. The recital of facts written and given out for true.
2. Facts stated in histories may be read in evidence, on the ground of
their notoriety. Skin. R. 14; 1 Ventr. R. 149. But these facts must be of a
public nature, and the general usages and customs of the country. Bull. P.
248; 7 Pet. R. 554; 1 Phil. & Am. Ev. 606; 30 Howell's St. Tr. 492.
Histories are not admissible in relation to matters not of a public nature,
such as the custom of a particular town, a descent, the boundaries of a
county, and the like. 1 Salk. 281; S. C. Skin. 623; T. Jones, 164; 6 C. & P.
586, note. See 9 Ves. 347; 10 Ves. 354; 3 John. 385; 1 Binn. 399; and
Notoriety.
from
Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0
104 Moby Thesaurus words for "history":
Clio, Muse of history, account, adventures, ancient history,
annals, antiquity, autobiography, background, biographical sketch,
biography, bygone days, bygone times, case history, catalog,
chronicle, chronicles, chronology, confessions, correspondence,
curriculum vitae, days gone by, days of yore, dead letter,
dead past, depiction, description, diary, documentation, epic,
experience, experiences, foretime, former times, fortunes,
hagiography, hagiology, historiography, information, intelligence,
inventory, journal, legend, letters, life, life and letters,
life story, list, martyrology, memoir, memoirs, memorabilia,
memorial, memorials, narration, narrative, necrology, news,
obituary, old hat, past, past history, past times, photobiography,
pipe roll, portrayal, profile, recapitulation, recent past,
recital, record, recording, register, registry, relation, relic,
remains, report, representation, resume, retailing, retelling,
roll, rolls, roster, rota, saga, scroll, story, summary, table,
tale, telling, the irrevocable Past, the past, theory of history,
thou unrelenting past, times past, token, trace, version, vestige,
yesterday, yesteryear
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