A short account of an interesting or humorous incident.
pl.an·ec·dotes or an·ec·do·ta (-dō'tə) Secret or hitherto undivulged particulars of history or biography.
[French, from Greek anekdota, unpublished items : an-, not; see a-1 + ekdota, neuter pl. of ekdotos, published (from ekdidonai, ekdo-, to publish : ek-, out; see ecto- + didonai, to give; see dō- in Indo-European roots).]