anecdotal
/ˌænəkˈdəʊtəl/a-nuhk-DOH-tuhl
UK form converted from the US by rule · unchecked/ˌænəkˈdoʊtəl/a-nuhk-DOH-tuhl
Meaningrelating to anecdote
Common meaning: based on personal stories, not proof
Tap a word part to explore
- annot, without (Greek ἀ-/ἀν-)Liddell & Scott, Greek-English Lexicon (1883), p. · scan
- ecGreek ek-: out of
- dota giving; a portion givenLiddell & Scott, Intermediate Greek-English Lexicon (1889), p. 210 · scan
- aladjective ending: relating to
‘not, without (Greek ἀ-/ἀν-)’ + ‘out of’ + ‘a giving’ → anecdotal
Journey through time
- Greekδόσις; δίδωμι‘a giving’
- Frenchanecdote
- Englishanecdote‘a short personal story’
- Englishformed in English from anecdoteanecdotal‘based on personal stories, not proof’ · today
Sources & notes
Meaning: “Meaning” is the sense that emerges from the word’s roots; “Common meaning” is today’s everyday sense. Both written by us.
Pronunciation
- UK IPA: converted from the US form by rule (unchecked). Respelling: generated.
- No UK recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-GB voice.
- US IPA: CMUdict (BSD-2), converted to IPA by rule. Respelling: generated.
- No US recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-US voice.
Origin: Formed in English from anecdote + -al.
Dictionary: Skeat (1898), ANECDOTE, p.24 · scan
Roots
- δόσις; δίδωμι Greek “a giving; a portion given”
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