history

The story

1. Proto-Indo-European*weyd-
2. Proto-Indo-European*wéydtōr
3. Proto-Hellenic*wístōr
4. Ancient Greekῐ̔́στωρ (hĭ́stōr)
5. Ancient Greekῐ̔στορέω (hĭstoréō)
6. Ancient Greekῐ̔στορῐ́ᾱ (hĭstorĭ́ā)
7. Latinhistoria
8. Old Frenchestoire
9. Old Frenchestorie
10. Old Frenchhistorie
11. Middle Englishhistorie
12. English todayhistory

From Middle English historie, from Old French estoire, estorie (“chronicle, history, story”) (French histoire), from Latin historia, from Ancient Greek ἱστορίᾱ (historíā, “learning through research”), from ἱστορέω (historéō, “to research, inquire (and) record”), from ἵστωρ (hístōr, “the knowing, wise one”), from Proto-Indo-European *weyd- (“see, know”). Doublet of story and storey. Attested in Middle English in 1393 by John Gower, Confessio Amantis, which was aimed at an educated audience familiar with French and Latin.

Words from the same roots