anecdotum

Anecdotum is a Latin noun historically used to designate a short, illustrative narrative or a matter regarded as an anecdote. In its classical form, it refers to a brief story or example inserted into a larger discourse to illustrate a point, often within rhetorical or didactic writing. The word is linked to the Greek term anekdota, meaning “things not published” or “unpublished things,” and entered Latin through scholarly transmission.

Morphology and usage in Latin texts

In Latin, anecdotum is treated as a neuter noun of the second declension. The singular form is anecdotum, while the plural is anecdota. The neuter gender means that the nominative and accusative forms are the same in both numbers (anecdotum in the singular; anecdota in the plural). In use, the term functions similarly to the modern English “anecdote,” but it often occurs in scholarly or didactic contexts, rather than in everyday prose.

Historical range

The term appears in classical and post-classical Latin literature, where authors discuss exempla, brief narratives, or proverbial stories used to illustrate arguments. In medieval and early modern Latin, anecdotum continued to surface in glossaries, rhetorical manuals, and commentaries on authors, sometimes alongside more common Latin equivalents for anecdote.

Modern reception

In contemporary English-language scholarship, anecdote remains the standard term, and anecdotum is rarely used outside discussions of Latin vocabulary or philology. When encountered, it typically signals a focus on Latin linguistic forms or on the historical treatment of anecdotal narrative within classical and medieval rhetoric. Related concepts include anecdote and exemplum.