ANECDATA

PRONUNCIATION:
(an-ik-DAY-tuh)

MEANING: noun: Anecdotal information gleaned from casual observation.

Example: My uncle has been smoking for 20 years and hasn’t been diagnosed with cancer yet; that shows that cigarettes are safe.

ETYMOLOGY: A blend of anecdotal + data. From Greek anekdota (things unpublished), from an- (not) + ekdidonai (to publish), originally applied by the Greek historian Procopius to his unpublished memoirs of the Emperor Justinian and his consort Theodora. Earliest documented use: 1980s. A related term is cherry-picking. Also see anecdotage.
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ANECODATA - absence of measurement of the environmental impact

A NERD AT A - the beginning of a tasteless joke

ANECDATE - a teenager's tale of last night's exploits (some might say, another tasteless joke)