anecdote

Meanings

Noun

• A short account of a real incident or person, often humorous or interesting.
• An account which supports an argument, but which is not supported by scientific or statistical analysis.
• A previously untold secret account of an incident.

Verb

• To tell anecdotes (about).

Origin

• Late 17^th c., from French anecdote, from Ancient Greek ἀνέκδοτος ("accounts unpublished"), from ἀν- + ἔκδοτος, from ἐκδίδωμι, from ἐκ- + δίδωμι.
• Virtually identical cognates in other European languages – French anecdote, German Anekdote, Spanish anécdota, among others.