entry
story
/ˈstɔː.ɹi/Narrative; account of events
From Greek via Latin historia (Inquiry).
from Late Latin storia , shortened
+1 more sourcefrom Late Latin storia , shortened
+1 more sourcefrom Anglo-French storie , estorie , Old French estoire "story, chronicle, history," and directly
+1 more sourcefrom Anglo-French storie , estorie , Old French estoire "story, chronicle, history," and directly
+1 more sourcefrom Anglo-French storie , estorie , Old French estoire "story, chronicle, history," and directly
+1 more sourceWord Ancestry
from Late Latin storia , shortened
+1 more sourcefrom Late Latin storia , shortened
+1 more sourcefrom Anglo-French storie , estorie , Old French estoire "story, chronicle, history," and directly
+1 more sourcefrom Anglo-French storie , estorie , Old French estoire "story, chronicle, history," and directly
+1 more sourcefrom Anglo-French storie , estorie , Old French estoire "story, chronicle, history," and directly
+1 more sourceThis is one of those words that quietly smuggled a whole discipline into everyday speech. In ancient Greek, ἱστορίᾱ meant inquiry or learning by investigation, which is why the first Greek historians were basically nosy detectives with papyrus. Latin picked it up as historia, French turned it into estorie, and by the time English was using story around 1200, it still meant a true account of important events — not just a made-up tale. That’s why story and history are doublets: cousins from the same elegant source, one becoming the archive, the other the yarn around the fire. Even now, when someone says “that’s just a story,” you can hear the old tension between fact and fabulousness rattling around inside the word like a coin in a jar.
The Story
This is one of those words that quietly smuggled a whole discipline into everyday speech. In ancient Greek, ἱστορίᾱ meant inquiry or learning by investigation, which is why the first Greek historians were basically nosy detectives with papyrus. Latin picked it up as historia, French turned it into estorie, and by the time English was using story around 1200, it still meant a true account of important events — not just a made-up tale. That’s why story and history are doublets: cousins from the same elegant source, one becoming the archive, the other the yarn around the fire. Even now, when someone says “that’s just a story,” you can hear the old tension between fact and fabulousness rattling around inside the word like a coin in a jar.
Kin & Kindred
From 'historia'·Inquiry, history, narrative account
Derived Terms
English words from this root
Sources
Etymonline
Free Dictionary
Urban Dictionary