# annals

/ˈænəɫz/ (US) · /ˈænəlz/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/annals
Updated: 2026-08-08

## Senses

### 2. history in general

noun · CEFR C1 · Literary · Formal

a way to talk about history or the memory of the past.

For teachers: the collective historical record or memory of a field, nation, or species.

- His discovery will go down in the annals of science as a major breakthrough.
- Few figures in the annals of military history have commanded such universal respect from both allies and adversaries.

### 3. academic journals

noun · CEFR C2 · Technical · Formal

the name of a regular magazine or book that contains new scientific or historical discoveries.

For teachers: the periodic publication of the records or discoveries of a learned society or professional body.

- She published her latest research in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
- The society's annual conference results are traditionally compiled and published in their official annals for international distribution.

## Examples

- The school keeps annals of its best students.
- Historians study the annals to understand how laws changed over the last century.
- The dusty annals of the monastery preserved the only surviving account of the medieval plague that swept through the valley.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.