chronicle

Definitions

chron (time) + -icle (a diminutive/noun ending, via Greek chronika 'annals') = 'a thing of time' → a record arranged by time. A chronicle lays out events year by year, in sequence — it tells you what happened when, not why.

Why It Means This

A chronicle differs from a history or a story in one key way: it follows the clock, not the argument. A historian interprets causes; a storyteller dramatizes; a chronicler simply records events in the order they unfolded. That's why the word still implies faithful, sequential documentation — to chronicle a journey is to log each stage as it happens. The medieval monastic chronicles, dry year-by-year entries, are the prototype.

Common Collocations

• 1.historical chronicle历史编年史
• 2.chronicle of events事件的纪事
• 3.chronicle the history of记述……的历史
• 4.ancient chronicle古代编年史

Example Sentences

• 1.

  The ancient chronicle describes the reigns of twelve kings in order.

• 2.

  Her diary chronicles the family's struggles during the war years.

• 3.

  The documentary chronicles the rise and fall of the company.

Synonym Comparison