anthology

noun

an·​thol·​o·​gy an-ˈthä-lə-jē How to pronounce anthology (audio)
plural anthologies
1
: a collection of selected literary pieces or passages or works of art or music
an anthology of American poetry
2
: assortment
… an anthology of threadbare clichés of … bistro cuisine …Jay Jacobs
anthological adjective

Examples of anthology in a Sentence

an anthology of American poetry The band will be releasing an anthology of their earlier albums.
Recent Examples on the Web As the title implies, Ryan Murphy’s anthology series sees two separate but equally intense feuds unfold. Tanya Melendez, EW.com, 13 Apr. 2024 Today, Prime Video released the official trailer of the horror anthology series THEM: THE SCARE. Okla Jones, Essence, 29 Mar. 2024 Stephen is coauthor of Hollyweird Science: From Quantum Quirks to the Multiverse (on the science shown in movies and TV shows) and the editor of several sci-fi anthologies, including Coming Soon Enough, published by Spectrum 10 years ago. IEEE Spectrum, 4 Mar. 2024 The Ali Wong-Steven Yeun went on to win five Primetime Emmy Awards in January, including the top kudo for limited or anthology series. Clayton Davis, Variety, 5 Apr. 2024 The actress appeared in Lionsgate’s 2023 action title The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes and can be seen in Kinds of Kindness, Searchlight’s forthcoming anthology feature from director Yorgos Lanthimos (Poor Things) that also stars Emma Stone, Jesse Plemons and Willem Dafoe. Ryan Gajewski, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Apr. 2024 As the title suggests, the anthology series follows a different person's dating history each season — season one stars Anna Kendrick and season two stars William Jackson Harper — from their first relationship to their last. Kelsie Gibson, Peoplemag, 2 Apr. 2024 As with any slasher series — or, in this case, anthology — some installments are better than others. Declan Gallagher, EW.com, 31 Mar. 2024 His version is on the superb Ace Records anthology Come Together: Black America Sings the Beatles. Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 29 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'anthology.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from French & New Latin; French anthologie, going back to Middle French, borrowed from New Latin anthologia, borrowed from Greek anthología "gathering of flowers," from anthológos "flower-gathering" (from antho- antho- + -logos, nominal ablaut derivative of légein "to gather, collect") + -ia -ia entry 1 — more at legend

Note: The sense "collection of extracts" is found earlier in the parallel formation anthológion, attested in Byzantine Greek.

First Known Use

1624, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of anthology was in 1624

Dictionary Entries Near anthology

Cite this Entry

“Anthology.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/anthology. Accessed 25 Apr. 2024.

Kids Definition

anthology

noun
an·​thol·​o·​gy an-ˈthäl-ə-jē How to pronounce anthology (audio)
plural anthologies
: a collection of literary pieces
anthologist
-jəst
noun

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