anecdote [M17th] This is from Greek anekdota ‘things unpublished’. The word came to be used for any short story as a result of its use by Byzantine historian Procopius (c.500–c.562) for his Anekdota or ‘Unpublished Memoirs’ (also known as The Secret History) of the Emperor Justinian, which were tales of the private life of the court.