annals
UK[ˈænəlz]US[ˈænəlz]
plural noun
A record of events arranged in yearly sequence.
plural noun
Historical records; chronicles.
Morpheme Breakdown
ann
al
s
ann
year
al
relating to
s
plural suffix
Etymology
The word 'annals' originates from the Latin 'annales libri' (yearly books), derived from 'annus' meaning 'year'. This Latin root is traced back to the Proto-Indo-European h₂et-no-, likely meaning 'to go', which also gave rise to words concerning cycles and periods, such as 'annual'. The suffix '-alis' forms adjectives, and in this plural noun form, it denotes records pertaining to successive years. Thus, the literal construction 'pertaining to years' evolved into the modern abstract meaning of a formal historical record organized chronologically by year.
Analysis
Structure: ann (year) + al (relating to) + s (plural suffix)
ann (Latin 'annus', meaning 'year'), al (Latin adjectival suffix '-alis', meaning 'pertaining to'), s (English plural suffix).
Examples
The discovery was recorded in the scientific annals of the period.
His achievements will go down in the annals of military history.
She spent years researching the ancient annals of the monastery.