anamnesis

/ˌænæmˈniːsɪs/

//ˌænæmˈniːsɪs// noun

"anamnesis" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“anamnesis” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
9
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The ability to recall past events; recollection.

Corpus desk

Index EN-anamnesis · anamnesis · English

anamnesis · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "A" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Key facts for anamnesis
PropertyValue
Headwordanamnesis
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˌænæmˈniːsɪs/
Letters9
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “anamnesis” in English

anamnesisranks outside the top 100,000 English headwords, in the long tail of specialist, archaic, or seldom-used vocabulary, exactly the territory where a reader stops mid-sentence to double-check spelling.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

anamnesis is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˌænæmˈniːsɪs/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 5 senses are on record.

No generated misspelling entries exist for anamnesis in our index, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Etymologically, the entry records: Learned borrowing from Ancient Greek ἀνάμνησις (anámnēsis, “remembrance”), verbal noun of ἀναμιμνήσκω (anamimnḗskō), from ἀνα- (ana-) + μιμνῄσκω (mimnēískō, “call to mind”). The correct English form is anamnesis, spelled A-N-A-M-N-E-S-I-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    The ability to recall past events; recollection.
  2. 2
    The remembrance and celebration of God’s works by the liturgy of the church.
  3. 3
    A patient's account of their medical history.
  4. 4
    The recollection of innate knowledge acquired before birth, according to Plato’s theory of epistemology.
  5. 5
    The mention of the past; quotation of exemplary authors from memory to establish one’s authority.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how anamnesis appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. 1898, Francis H. Stuart (translator), Oswald Vierordt, A Clinical Text-book of Medical Diagnosis for Physicians and Students, 4th Edition, [1897, O. Vierordt, Diagnostik der Innerer Krankheiten, 5th Edition], W. B. Saunders, page 19, But it is always well for the beginner to secure as complete an anamnesis, or prior history, as possible, in order that he…
  2. 1990, Stewart Umphrey, Zetetic Skepticism, Longwood Academic, page 13, There are also reasons for thinking that Socratic anamnesis, inquiry and learning are quite unlike anamnesis, inquiry and learning as ordinarily understood.

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Ancient Greek ἀνάμνησις (anámnēsis, “remembrance”), verbal noun of ἀναμιμνήσκω (anamimnḗskō), from ἀνα- (ana-) + μιμνῄσκω (mimnēískō, “call to mind”).

This word in other languages

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "anamnesis"?
"anamnesis" is spelled A-N-A-M-N-E-S-I-S. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌænæmˈniːsɪs/.
What does "anamnesis" mean?
As a noun, "anamnesis" means: The ability to recall past events; recollection.
How do you pronounce "anamnesis"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "anamnesis" is /ˌænæmˈniːsɪs/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "anamnesis"?
Learned borrowing from Ancient Greek ἀνάμνησις (anámnēsis, “remembrance”), verbal noun of ἀναμιμνήσκω (anamimnḗskō), from ἀνα- (ana-) + μιμνῄσκω (mimnēískō, “call to mind”). See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list