anecdote
[ˈæn.ɪkˌdəʉt]
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: 3.20 in modern English
11
Scrabble Score
8
Letters
3
Syllables
7
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
A short account of a real incident or person, often humorous or interesting.
Countable; Uncountable
noun
An account which supports an argument, but which is not supported by scientific or statistical analysis.
Countable; Uncountable
Example Sentences
- "tell an anecdote"
- "relate a short anecdote"
- "Like all travellers, he is full of anecdote, and has at his command the rarest news of the time. […] Generous, convivial, and full of anecdote, the mercantile agent is a good companion, and his conversation never fails to make glad and jocund the society of that otherwise dullest of places, an English stage coach."
- "They were all men of the same set, knowing one another intimately, and knowing the same people; so they fell to talking and anecdoting in such pleasant wise that dinner-time approached […]"
- "Bob anecdoted the circus he and Jimmy had seen that afternoon."
Etymology
Late 17ᵗʰ c., from French anecdote, from Ancient Greek ἀνέκδοτος (anékdotos, “accounts unpublished”), from ἀν- (an-, “not, un-”) + ἔκδοτος (ékdotos, “published”), from ἐκδίδωμι (ekdídōmi, “I publish”), from ἐκ- (ek-, “out”) + δίδωμι (dídōmi, “I give”). Virtually identical cognates in other European languages – French anecdote, German Anekdote, Spanish anécdota, among others.
Origin
- Source language: French
Word Breakdown
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: [ˈæn.ɪkˌdəʉt]
- British English: /ˈæn.ɪkˌdəʊt/