anthology

Meaning

Noun

• A collection of literary works, such as poems or short stories, especially a collection from various authors.
• A work or series containing various stories with no direct relation to one another.
• An assortment of things.
• The study of flowers.

Origin

• Borrowed from Ancient Greek ἀνθολογία, from ἀνθολογέω, from ἄνθος + λέγω, coined by Meleager of Gadara circa 60 BCE, originally as Στέφανος (στέφανος) to describe a collection of poetry, later retitled anthology – see Greek Anthology. Anthologiai were collections of small Greek poems and epigrams, because in Greek culture the flower symbolized the finer sentiments that only poetry can express.