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anecdote

Etymology and origin of the French word anecdote

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Confidence
Established
Formation
Borrowing
First attested
before 1654, Guez de Balzac
Ultimate origin
Ancient Greek (ἀνέκδοτος)
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
French anecdote
English anecdote

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /a.nɛk.dɔt/[1]
  • IPA: /a.nɛɡ.dɔt/[1]

Forms

anecdote f (plural anecdotes)[1]

Etymology

It comes, through the title New Latin Anecdota, from Greek ἀνέκδοτα (anékdota, “unpublished things”), the name of Procopius's secret history of Justinian's court;[2][3][4][5][6] Wiktionary treats it as a learned borrowing from Ancient Greek ἀνέκδοτος (anékdotos, “unpublished”).[1] The Greek adjective is formed from ἀν- (an-, “not”) and ἔκδοτος (ékdotos, “given out, published”), from ἐκδίδωμι (ekdídōmi, “to give out, publish”), a verb related to Latin dōnum (“gift”).[2][7]

Earliest recorded meaning

Guez de Balzac used it as an adjective, histoire anecdote “secret, unpublished history” (before 1654),[8][2] and Varillas as a noun in the title Anecdotes de Florence (1685).[8][2][4]

Semantic evolution

Furetière (1690) defines anecdotes as the title historians give to histories of the secret affairs of princes.[8] The word spread in history writing from 1718 and then in everyday use through Voltaire,[2] who in 1777 uses it of a short account of a curious incident.[8] It also came to mean a minor detail as opposed to what matters (se perdre dans l'anecdote).[9][5]

The adjectival use is now obsolete, replaced by anecdotique (1781).[8][7][4]

Timeline

  • before 1654 – Adjective anecdote “unpublished”.[8][9]
  • 1685 – Anecdotes de Florence.[8][4]
  • 1690 – Furetière defines it.[8]
  • 1736 – Anecdotier in Voltaire.[2][4]
  • 1777 – Voltaire uses it of a short curious story.[8]
  • 1781 – Anecdotique.[2][4]

Meanings

Noun

  1. An anecdote, a short account of a curious or amusing incident.[5][9]
  2. (literary) A little-known historical detail that throws light on events or people.[5][8]
  3. A secondary detail, as opposed to the essential: ce peintre ne s'élève pas au-dessus de l'anecdote.[5][9]

Word family

  • anecdotier
  • anecdotique
  • Ancient Greek ἀνέκδοτος (anékdotos)
  • English anecdote

References

  1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  3. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  4. ^ a b c d e f Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  5. ^ a b c d e Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  6. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 24, 554b
  7. ^ a b Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  8. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Trésor de la langue française informatisé (2004), ATILF – CNRS & Université de Lorraine, atilf.fr/tlfi; electronic version of Imbs, Paul; Quemada, Bernard, eds. (1971–1994), Trésor de la langue française, Paris: CNRS / Gallimard
  9. ^ a b c d Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse

Borrowed into

Cite this entry

“Anecdote.” Etymologically, 17 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/fr/anecdote. Accessed 17 Oct. 2026.

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