History is (1) the academic study of past events; (2) the totality of past events themselves; (3) a written record or account of events; or (4) informally, something that is no longer relevant — as in "that's history now".
What Does History Mean?
History is one of the most versatile nouns in English. In its most common sense it refers to the academic discipline concerned with researching and explaining the past: She studied history at university. It also refers to the sum of past events as a whole: That discovery changed the course of history. As a countable noun it can mean a particular written account: a history of the British Empire. In informal speech, that's history or that's ancient history signals that something is completely over and no longer worth discussing.
For English learners, history is particularly important because it underlies countless idioms and cultural references in everyday conversation, journalism, and literature. Understanding the word and its collocations — make history, go down in history, a history of — greatly improves reading comprehension and speaking fluency.
Etymology
History entered English in the late 14th century via Latin historia, which was itself borrowed directly from Greek historia meaning "inquiry, knowledge obtained by inquiry, a narrative of what one has learnt". The Greek root histor means "wise man, judge, one who knows". The same ancient root gives modern English story (via a shortened form), historic, historical, prehistory, and historiography (the study of how history is written). The original Greek sense of active inquiry is preserved in the scholarly phrase oral history, meaning knowledge gathered directly from witnesses.
Example Sentences
| Sentence | Level | Usage note |
|---|---|---|
| I like history at school because we learn about old kings and queens. | A2 | history as school subject (uncountable) |
| Understanding English history helps learners interpret many idioms and expressions. | B1 | history as a body of knowledge |
| The discovery of penicillin is one of the most important moments in the history of medicine. | B1 | history of + noun phrase |
| The astronaut made history by becoming the first person to complete the mission solo. | B2 | make history — key collocation |
| Historians debate whether individuals shape history or whether large economic forces are the primary drivers of change. | C1 | history as an abstract force; academic register |
Collocations
| Collocation | Example |
|---|---|
| make history | The team made history by winning three consecutive championships. |
| go down in history | That speech will go down in history as one of the finest ever delivered. |
| ancient history | Their argument is ancient history — they are good friends now. |
| modern history | She specialises in modern history, particularly the post-war period. |
| art history | He took an art history course to understand the paintings better. |
| local history | The library has an excellent collection of local history documents. |
| a history of | The building has a history of flooding during heavy rain. |
| medical history | The doctor asked about her medical history before prescribing treatment. |
| oral history | The project collected oral histories from survivors of the event. |
| repeat history | Those who do not learn from the past are doomed to repeat history. |
Usage Notes
Key Points for ESL Learners
Countable vs uncountable: History is uncountable when referring to the subject or the general past: History fascinates me. / Throughout history, humans have adapted. It is countable when referring to a specific written account: She wrote a history of the Roman Empire. / Several histories of the period disagree on this point.
Historic vs historical: These two adjectives are frequently confused. Use historic for things that are important or famous in history: a historic victory, a historic decision. Use historical for anything simply connected with history or the past: historical evidence, a historical novel, a historical figure. A useful test: if you could replace the word with "important", use historic; if you could replace it with "from the past", use historical.
A/an before historic: In British English, use a (not an) before historic and historical because the /h/ is pronounced: a historic moment, a historical drama. Some speakers use an, but a is the standard British form.
Common Mistakes
Watch Out For
It was an historical moment for the country. (wrong adjective choice)
It was a historic moment for the country. (historic = significant/famous in history)
She is very interested in the history. (unnecessary definite article)
She is very interested in history. (history as a general subject takes no article)
This is a very old history. (wrong noun — history is not used like "story" here)
This is a very old building with a fascinating history. (history = its past record)