Longman Dictionary English

Explore History Topic Show all entries from Topic: History
Word family noun historian history prehistory adjective historic prehistoric historical adverb historically
From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
Related topics: History, Education, Newspapers, printing, publishing
historyhis‧to‧ry /ˈhɪstəri/ ●●● S2 W1 noun (plural histories) 1 past events [uncountable]SH all the things that happened in the past, especially the political, social, or economic development of a nation 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 a decision that changed the course of history a college steeped in history History shows that the usual response to violent protest is repression.2 development of something [singular, uncountable]SH the events that took place from the beginning and during the development of a particular place, activity, institution etchistory of the worst disaster in the history of space travellong/brief/75-year etc history The 1970s were the most successful in the theater’s long history.3 subject [uncountable]SHSE the study of past events as a subject in school or universityEuropean/art/economic etc history a degree in European historyancient/modern history a history lesson4 account [countable]TCNSH an account of past eventshistory of a history of World War II a potted history (=very short) of Gielgud’s life (British English)5 past life [countable, uncountable]PAST a record of something that has affected someone or been done by them in the pastmedical/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 history7 → something will go down in history8 → history repeats itself9 → the history books10 → ... and the rest is history11 → that’s (past/ancient) history → natural history, case historyCOLLOCATIONS – Meanings 1 & 2adjectives recent/modern/contemporary historyThe country’s recent history is powerfully told in this film.early/ancient historyHe had studied ancient Roman history.recorded history (=history since people have written things down)These were the worst floods in recorded history.local history (=the history of events in a particular local area)The building is now a museum of local history.American/Chinese/British etc historyIt was one of the worst peacetime disasters in American history.human history (=the history of people rather than the world itself)World War I was the most destructive war in human history up to that time.political/social etc historythe political history of Germanyoral history (=history that is told by speaking and that often consists of personal memories)Smith recorded the conversation for oral history.rich history (=an interesting and important history)Greece has a very rich history.long historyThe 1970s were the most successful in the theatre's long history.verbshistory shows/tells (that)History shows that the usual response to violent protests is repression.go down in history (=be remembered for many years)She will go down in history as one of the greatest tennis players of all time.make history (=do something important that will be recorded and remembered)Ordinary Berliners made history when they tore down the wall.rewrite history (=change what we believe are the facts about the past)They're trying to rewrite history to exaggerate their role in the war.trace the history of something (=find out what the history of something is)James traces the history of modern cricket back to its beginnings in the late 1700s.shape history (=influence events that are recorded)He is one of the politicians who shaped 20th century history.phrasesa period of/in historya glorious period in English historythe first time in history (=the first time something has ever happened)For the first time in history, an American president resigned his office.change the course of history (=do something that has many important effects)Roosevelt and Churchill helped to change the course of history.be steeped in history (=be closely connected with important events in history)Cambridge is steeped in history and tradition.consign something to the dustbin of history (=to forget about something that existed in the past – used especially when saying that you will feel glad when people have got rid of something)One day nuclear weapons will be consigned to the dustbin of history.
Examples from the Corpus
history• a history of World War II• For decompression sickness, your dive history is available in graphic detail for hyperbaric specialists to consult.• In this most settled and prosperous nation in history the political situation is almost permanently unstable.• The Moon experienced only a brief period of intense internal activity early in its history.• India has been invaded several times in its history.• I got an 84 on my history test.• What the lie was, I had too little knowledge of history or science to know then.• Our history is too full of pain and outrage to want any of it back.• a book about the history of the United Nations• the history of jazz music• The history of life, he argued, could have followed all sorts of paths.Throughout history• Throughout history , most societies have been governed by men.• The wedding band appears throughout history in various forms.• Death and religion have provided the raw material for great art throughout history.• Such selection has been continued throughout history, and is continuing today in plant and animal breeding programmes.• Prohibition does not work in preventing alcoholism and never has done throughout history.• Wolfe also contends that Sulloway was culturally biased by assuming all families throughout history have had the same structure.• I said that throughout history a number of great leaders had kept matters of state secret even from their wives.• Scapegoats have been used throughout history to attempt to solve societal problems.• Furthermore, what the men express echoes the sentiments of soldiers in wars throughout history.long/brief/75-year etc history• He has a long history in medical broadcasting.• Feminist critique of the practical terms of marriage has a long history.• There is a long history of stations in Earth orbit that have met with varying degrees of success.• Winnetka is blessed with a long history of progressive education.• Write a brief history of your life as a reader up to the age of 11.• Like cream on top of oatmeal, these layers have resisted homogenization throughout their long history.• With their long history of shipbuilding Brooke Marine certainly knew how to organise these occasions.• Their long history explains the traditional image people often have of solicitors.European/art/economic etc history• There are, of course, many links and parallels between economic history and the development of the government and social institutions.• One characteristic of contemporary art history has been its extensive use of non-art-historical texts.• He qualified as an electronics engineer before going to teachers' training college after which he obtained a degree in art history.• Clark, for example, who led the turn to a more political art history in the 1970s.• The titles of these essays indicate that the terms in which historians were writing about abstract expressionism had refocused art history.• Despite these important differences, the original dockland areas shared similar economic histories.• To understand the sources of the new ways of life, we must turn to economic history.• Hence, interest was slight and sporadic, and the works were not assimilated into mainstream western art history.potted history• Keeping a job file Your employer will have a personnel file containing a potted history of your career with the company.• Woven into these personal accounts are potted histories of disturbing events, ancient and modern.• Martin's potted history of each railway is certainly sufficiently detailed to whet the appetite enough to free buttocks from armchair Dralon.medical/employment/career etc history• Recite my entire career history complete with qualifications, pay scale, dates of promotions and dossier of official merit-ratings and reprimands?• Application of these methods to a large database consisting of career histories of employees working in the public sector.• Between us we had even hired a video so that we could record this minor miracle of medical history for posterity.• Third, the severity of comorbidity was categorised broadly and was based only on past medical history.• The past medical history was otherwise unremarkable.• Staff at Parsons Green were also criticised for failing to take medical histories.• It provides an important reference to medical history in case of emergency.• You should not expect to receive a detailed resume of your employment history with the company.Origin history (1400-1500) Latin historia, from Greek, from histor “knowing, learned”
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