Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English homepage

Topic: HISTORY

Date: 1400-1500
Language: Latin
Origin: historia, from Greek, from histor 'knowing, learned'

history

 noun
     
his‧to‧ry S2 W1 plural histories
1

past events

[uncountable] all the things that happened in the past, especially the political, social, or economic development of a nationCOLLOCATIONS COLLOCATIONS
throughout history recent/modern history early/ancient history recorded history (=history since people wrote facts down) local history American/British etc history human history period in/of history the first time in history (=the first time that something has ever happened) change the course of history (=do something that has a lot of important effects) steeped in history (=closely connected with important events in history) history shows/tells (that)
Throughout history the achievements of women have been largely ignored.
history of
the post-war history of Europe
No man in recent history has done more to rebuild the Democratic Party.
the early history of Scotland
Other meteor storms have occurred in recorded history.
a museum devoted to local history
one of the darkest episodes in American history
an interesting period in Egyptian history
History shows that the usual response to violent protest is repression.
2

development of something

[singular, uncountable] the events that took place from the beginning and during the development of a particular place, activity, institution etc
history of
the worst disaster in the history of space travel
long/brief/75-year etc history
The 1970s were the most successful in the theater's long history.
3

subject

[uncountable]SE the study of past events as a subject in school or university
European/art/economic etc history
a degree in European history
a history lesson
4

account

[countable]TCN an account of past events
history of
a history of World War II
a potted history (=very short) of Gielgud's life British English
5

past life

[uncountable and countable] a record of something that has affected someone or been done by them in the past
medical/employment/career etc history
Your doctor will ask for your medical history.
history of
Is there any history of heart disease in your family?
The defendant had a history of violent assaults on women.
6

make history

to do something important that will be recorded and remembered:
Lindbergh made history when he flew across the Atlantic.
7

something will go down in history

used to say that something is important enough to be remembered and recorded:
This day will go down in history as the start of a new era in South Africa.
8

history repeats itself

used to say that things often happen in the same way as they did before
9

the history books

the record of past events:
Mozart's genius earned him a place in the history books.
10

... and the rest is history

informal used to say that everyone knows the rest of a story you have been telling
11

that's (past/ancient) history

spoken informal used to say that something is not important any more
Definition of history from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English within
the topic HISTORY

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age allied barbarian baroque barrow bestiary biography chivalry circus classical colony conquistador dolmen dominion doublet dragoon Edwardian Elizabethan epoch era feudalism forum galleon galley genealogy gladiator Graeco- Grecian Greco- Hellenic herald historian historic historical history Ice Age local history lord medieval Moorish Norman Norse page pageant paladin palimpsest papyrus parchment patrician prehistoric prehistory reeve Regency Romano- romanticism time capsule Tudor Victorian(a) Victorian(n) Whig zeitgeist

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