noun (plural)
1 [U] all the events that happened in the past:
a turning point in human history * one of the worst disasters in recent history * a people with no sense of history * Many people throughout history have dreamt of a world without war. * The area was inhabited long before the dawn of recorded history (= before people wrote about events). * These events changed the course of history.
2 [sing.,U] the past events concerned in the development of a particular place, subject, etc:
the history of Ireland / democracy / popular music * The local history of the area is fascinating. * The school traces its history back to 1865.
3 [U] the study of past events as a subject at school or university:
a history teacher * a degree in History * social / economic / political history * ancient / medieval / modern history * She's studying art history.
seealsoNATURALHISTORY
4 [C] a written or spoken account of past events:
She's writing a new history of Europe. * She went on to catalogue a long history of disasters.
5 [sing.] a record of sth happening frequently in the past life of a person, family or place; the set of facts that are known about sb's past life:
He has a history of violent crime. * There is a history of heart disease in my family. * a patient's medical history
seealsoCASEHISTORY, LIFEHISTORY
6 [U] (informal) something that happened in the past that is no longer important:
We won't talk about that-that's history. * They had an affair once but that's past history now.
IDIOMS
the history books the record of great achievements in history:
She has earned her place in the history books.
history repeats itself used to say that things often happen later in the same way as before:
Years later family history repeated itself with Eve's daughters.
make history
