oral history

noun

1. information of historical or sociological importance obtained usually by tape-recorded interviews with persons whose experiences and memories are representative or whose lives have been of special significance.
2. a book, article, recording, or transcription of such information.

oral history

noun

1. the memories of living people about events or social conditions which they experienced in their earlier lives taped and preserved as historical evidence

Other Words From

• oral historian noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of oral history¹

First recorded in 1970–75

Example Sentences

Also, when Nelson died and Hugh Morrow did his own oral history project and talked to about 75 Rockefeller associates.

From The Daily Beast

I often wonder if I should have donated the triage tag to the museum or recorded my oral history for its collections.

From The Daily Beast

Video courtesy of The Center for Oral History at West Point.

From The Daily Beast

Show creator Matthew Weiner and star Jon Hamm offer an oral history of the gut-wrenching, Emmy-nominated episode.

From The Daily Beast

RELATED: An oral history of presidents' final flights home.

From The Daily Beast

The status of black servicemen in the integration era has attracted considerable attention among oral history enthusiasts.

From Project Gutenberg

A surprise oral history quiz caught her completely unprepared.

From Project Gutenberg