Where does “anecdote” come from?
Anecdote comes from Ancient Greek ἀνέκδοτος, formed from the prefix ἀ- meaning "not" and a root related to Proto-Indo-European sem- meaning "to give."
anecdote (English): A short account of a real incident or person,...
Definitions
- A short account of a real incident or person,...
Ancestry of “anecdote”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | French | anecdote | anecdote |
| 2 | Latin | anecdota | nominative plural of anecdotum; accusative plural... |
| 3 | Ancient Greek | ἀνέκδοτος | accounts unpublished |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | ἀν- | Alternative form of ἀ- used before a vowel;... |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | ὀρθός | straight, upright, erect; straight forward, in a... |
| 6 | Proto-Hellenic | ortʰwós | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | h₃r̥dʰwós | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | h₃erdʰ- | to increase, grow; upright, high |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | -wós | Creates adjectives from verb stems |