story

English has two words spelled story, both from Latin historia and both doublets of history: the narrative, and the floor of a building, spelled storey in British English.^[1][2][3]

Pronunciation

• IPA: UK /ˈstɔː.ri/, US /ˈstɔːr.i/^[4]

story¹ narrative

Etymology

The narrative is inherited from Middle English storie, borrowed from Anglo-Norman estorie (Old French estoire, modern French histoire),^[3][5][2] and directly Late Latin storia, a shortening of Latin historia (“history, account, tale, story”),^[5][3] from Ancient Greek ἱστορία (historía, “inquiry, record, history”), from ἱστορέω (historéō, “to inquire”), from ἵστωρ (hístōr, “wise man, judge”),^[3][5] related to ἰδεῖν (ideîn, “to see”) (see wit).^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

A historical narrative or writing, probably before 1200 in the Ancrene Riwle;^[3][6] the OED's first quotation, for a narrative of important events of the past, is from before 1225.^[6]

Semantic evolution

The word was not distinguished from history until the 1500s, and was used in most of its senses.^[5] A storier was a historian and a book of story a history book.^[5] A humorous anecdote is a story from the early 15th century,^[5] and a tale told for entertainment is first recorded in Dunbar's poems (1500–20).^[3][5] The facts of a case in sequence are its story from about 1600,^[5] and the plot of a novel or play from 1715.^[5] The verb, to tell as a story, is from before 1450, and to decorate with pictures of historical scenes from 1387–88, whence storied windows.^[6][7]

Timeline

• before 1200 – a historical narrative (Ancrene Riwle).^[3]
• 1387–88 – verb, to decorate with historical scenes.^[6]
• early 15th century – a humorous anecdote.^[5]
• before 1450 – verb, to tell the story of.^[6]
• 1500–20 – a tale for entertainment (Dunbar).^[3]
• 1715 – the plot of a novel or play.^[5]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. An account of an event or series of events, true or fictitious.
2. A usually fictional prose or verse narrative meant to interest or amuse; a tale.
3. A short story.
4. The plot of a novel, play or film.
5. A news report or article.
6. (informal) A lie: don't tell stories.

Verb

1. To decorate with scenes from history or legend.
2. To tell as a story.

Word family

• storied
• storybook
• storyteller
• storytelling
• storyline

story² floor of a building

Etymology

The floor of a building is inherited from Middle English storie,^[2][8] borrowed from Medieval Latin historia (“picture; floor of a building”), a special use in Anglo-Latin (about 1200) of Latin historia (“history”).^[3][5][9] It was perhaps so called because medieval buildings often had rows of painted windows or sculptures on the front, each tier showing a historical subject.^[3][5][1] The second part of clerestory (1412) is early evidence of it.^[3][6]

Earliest recorded meaning

A stage of the height of a building, recorded before 1384,^[3] or about 1400 according to Etymonline.^[5]

Semantic evolution

It was used of anything arranged in horizontal stages, one above another, from 1625,^[6] and jocularly upper story meant the head as the seat of the mind (1699).^[6] British English now spells this word storey.^[6][10]

Timeline

• before 1384 – a floor of a building.^[3]
• 1412 – clerestory.^[3]
• 1625 – any horizontal stage or tier.^[6]
• 1699 – upper story, the head.^[6]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. A complete horizontal division of a building, between two floors or a floor and the roof; a floor.
2. The rooms on one level of a building.

Word family

• storey
• clerestory
• multistory

Related words

• history
• historian
• wit

References

1. ^ a b Cresswell, Julia (2021), Oxford Dictionary of Word Origins, 3rd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
2. ^ a b c The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (2000), 4th ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
4. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
7. ^ Klein, Ernest. A Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary of the English Language. 2 vols. Amsterdam: Elsevier, 1966–1967.
8. ^ Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
9. ^ Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
10. ^ Soanes, Catherine; Stevenson, Angus, eds. (2004), Concise Oxford English Dictionary, 11th ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press