storey
/ˈstɔːri/
noun
Origin
Latin
historia — narrative, account, history
Overview
Meaning Now
- A floor or level of a building.
Literal older meaning
historical narrative; setting for a narrative
Language path
Latin → Old French → Middle English → English
Earliest form
storie
Earliest period
14th century
Journey
The term originated from the practice of decorating building facades with tiers of windows or murals that depicted historical scenes. Each horizontal level came to be identified by the 'story' displayed upon it, eventually leading to the word being used for the floor level itself.
Evolution
- Latin
historia
“narrative or chronicle”
- Old French
estorie
“history, account, or a row of painted windows”
Used to describe rows of windows or sculptural narrative tiers on building facades.
- Middle English
storie
“floor or level of a building”
Applied to each level containing a distinct tier of windows or painted glass.
- Modern English
storey
“a horizontal level of a building”
Spelling convention differentiated from 'story' (narrative) in British English.
Connections
Word parts
storey
root
level of a building
Related across languages
French
histoire
history, story
Related words
Explore next
Related to storey
External references use DefinedTerm semantics.