anecdotum

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UK/əˈnɛkdətəm/

A form of anecdote — A short account of a real incident or person, often humorous or interesting.

OriginLatin anecdotum →
Scrabble 14
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Meanings

nounanecdotum (plural anecdota)

plural anecdota · alternative anecdoton

  1. LatinatealternativerareAlternative spelling of anecdote.

    I have not yet quite polished that anecdotum of mine to my satisfaction.

    1965, David Roy Shackleton Bailey, Cicero’s Letters to Atticus, 371 (xiv. 17) — Pompeii, 3 May 44 — cicero to atticus: ¶ 6, page 49 ^〃 (University Press)
    1 more example

    Ang. Mai published it anew by mistake as an anecdotum, under the title, Philonis Judæi de virtute ejusque partibus.

    1837, Friedrich Adolf Ebert, Arthur Browne, A General Bibliographical Dictionary, entry 8,304, page 633

Origin

  1. Latinanecdotum
  2. Englishanecdotum

Back-formation from anecdota, reinterpreting the nominative neuter plural case ending -a as a Latin case ending (singular: -um), rather than (as is etymologically-consistent) as an Ancient Greek case ending (singular: -on, from -ον (-on)); perhaps reinforced by Latin anecdotum.

More words from Latin

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

anecdotum. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/anecdotum

MLA

“anecdotum.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/anecdotum. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “anecdotum,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/anecdotum.

Source: anecdotum on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.