Definition of "anecdote" []

• A short account of an interesting or humorous incident. (noun)
• Secret or hitherto undivulged particulars of history or biography. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "Gradually, the term anecdote came to be applied to any short tale utilized to emphasize or illustrate whatever point the author wished to make."
• "Jeep33, the term anecdote means a brief account of a specific incident."
• "If so, this anecdote is an excellent argument for the venerable, oft-derided doctrine of contributory negligence."