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. -- 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 Caesar 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.
© Webster 1913.
His"to*ry, v. t.
To narrate or record.
[Obs.]
Shak.
© Webster 1913.