/ ˈænɪkdəʊt; NAmE -doʊt/ noun [ C , U ]
1.
a short, interesting or amusing story about a real person or event :
amusing anecdotes about his brief career as an actor
2.
a personal account of an event :
This research is based on anecdote not fact.
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WORD ORIGIN
late 17th cent.: from French , or via modern Latin from Greek anekdota things unpublished, from an- not + ekdotos , from ekdidōnai publish.