▪ I. biography, n.
(baɪˈɒgrəfɪ)
[This word and its numerous connexions (see above) are recent. No compounds of the group existed in Old Greek: but βιογραϕία ‘writing of lives’ (f. βίο-ς life + -γραϕία writing, f. γράϕ-ειν to write, -γράϕος writer), is quoted from Damascius c 500, and βιογράϕος ‘writer of lives’ is cited by Du Cange as med.Gr. Biographus, biographia, were used in mod.L. before any words of the group appeared in Eng., where biographist was used by Fuller 1662, biography by Dryden 1683, biographer by Addison 1715, biographical by Oldys 1738; all the others are later. It is doubtful whether biographist was formed directly from the Gr. elements, or after mod.L. biographus; biography appears to have been an adaptation of L. biographia. The first appearance of biographe, biographie in Fr. is not recorded; so that their immediate relation to the Eng. words is not yet determined.]
1. The history of the lives of individual men, as a branch of literature.
| 1683 Dryden Life Plutarch (1712) 55 Biographia, or the History of particular Mens Lives, comes next to be considered. Ibid. 59 In all parts of Biography..Plutarch equally excell'd. a 1724 R. Fiddes Life Wolsey Introd. 15 That Distinction or particular Branch of History, which is termed Biography. 1803 Scott in Lockhart xi, Biography, the most interesting perhaps of every species of composition. 1883 Halliwell-Phillipps Life Shaks. Pref. 1, At the present day, with biography carried to a wasteful and ridiculous excess. |
2. A written record of the life of an individual.
| c 1791 Wolcott (P. Pindar) Bozzy & P. (1812) 361 Bid her a poor biography suspend, Nor crucify through vanity a friend. 1814 Pinkerton Voy. XVII. Index, Biography of Haller. 1883 Halliwell-Phillipps Life Shaks. Pref. 12 John Aubrey..was the author of numerous little biographies. |
b. Comb.
| 1860 Sat. Rev. IX. 301 If it had come from the hands of a regular biography-monger. |
3. transf. The life-course of a man or other living being; the ‘life-history’ of an animal or plant.
| 1854 H. Miller Footpr. Creat. xv. (1874) 268 In studying the biography, if I may so express myself, of an individual animal. 1883 Halliwell-Phillipps Life Shaks. Pref. 8 The scanty records of the poet's biography that yet remain. |
▪ II. biˈography, v.
[f. the n.]
trans. To write the life of; to make the subject of a biography. So biˈographied ppl. a. (also absol.).
| 1844 Fraser's Mag. XXX. 518/1 If..the biographied be of low birth. 1858 [see biographying vbl. n.]. 1887 L'pool Merc. 10 Mar. 4/5 Captain Burton is to be biographied. 1908 Fabian News XIX. 22/2, I cannot help a sneaking regret that G.B.S. has mounted above us into the regions of the biographied. 1909 Westm. Gaz. 29 May 5/3 Diane de Poitiers, Lola Montez [etc.] are nearly all much-biographied ladies. |