Annals
noun /ˈæn.əlz/ — Historical records kept year by year; the record of past events.
Definition
A record of events year by year; historical records arranged in annual order. To enter 'the annals of history' is to be recorded — to become part of the permanent account. The annals are where things are written down and preserved.
Beyond the definition
The annals ask: what was remembered, and by whom? History is not what happened — it is what was deemed worth recording. The annals tell us as much about their authors as about the events they describe.
Origin & history
Latin: 'annales' (yearly books). From 'annus' (year). The Roman 'annales maximi' were official records kept by the Pontifex Maximus. Tacitus's 'Annals' are one of the great works of Roman historiography.
Example sentences
Illustrative sentences for learning, not verified community posts or sourced quotations.
The discovery will go down in the annals of science.
She was erased from the official annals — but the folk memory of her survived.
History's annals are full of people who were important and forgotten, and people who were peripheral and remembered.
How to use it
This entry uses a noun. Follow the examples for articles and singular or plural forms; not every noun takes “a” or “an.”
Choose “Annals” when the meaning fits your context: A record of events year by year; historical records arranged in annual order. To enter 'the annals of history' is to be recorded — to become part of the permanent account. The annals are where things are written down and preserved.
Synonyms
records, chronicles, history, archives
Antonyms
forgetting, erasure, oral tradition
Related words
Annals vs chronicle
Annals are records of events kept strictly year by year. A chronicle is a broader historical account of events arranged in the order they occurred, without requiring a yearly format.
Word in the Wild
See how this word appears in life, language and stories.
Illustrative sentences and imagined stories for learning — not verified sightings, interviews, or sourced quotations.
Fictional scene
Adult in Grand Archive
An adult stands in a quiet, grand archive, holding a heavy, ancient book with handwritten records.
The handwritten book within the archive is an annal—a formal, ordered account of events that has been preserved as part of the permanent historical record.
Image credit: Wordspun · AI-generated conceptual illustration
Questions about this word
What does "Annals" mean?
Annals is noun meaning: Historical records kept year by year; the record of past events.. A record of events year by year; historical records arranged in annual order. To enter 'the annals of history' is to be recorded — to become part of the permanent account. The annals are where things are written down and preserved.
Where does the word "Annals" come from?
Latin: 'annales' (yearly books). From 'annus' (year). The Roman 'annales maximi' were official records kept by the Pontifex Maximus. Tacitus's 'Annals' are one of the great works of Roman historiography.