Greek for 'things not given out' — an unpublished story, something deliberately withheld from circulation.
A short, amusing or interesting story about a real incident or person; an account regarded as unreliable or hearsay.
From French 'anecdote,' from Greek 'anékdota' (things not given out, unpublished items), neuter plural of 'anékdotos' (not published), from 'an-' (not) + 'ékdotos' (given out, published), from 'ek-' (out) + 'dótos' (given), from 'didónai' (to give), from PIE *deh₃- (to give). An anecdote was originally something 'not given out' — a private story that was never officially published. The word entered English
The word entered European languages through the Byzantine historian Procopius (6th century), who wrote a scandalous secret history of Emperor Justinian's court titled 'Anékdota' (Unpublished Things). When it was finally published centuries later, the title became the word for any gossipy, private, or behind-the-scenes story. Every anecdote you tell at a dinner