A Building's Storey Comes From Painted Windows
A story is a narrative, and a storey a floor of a building. The spellings differ in Britain and the origin is shared.
A story is an account of events, real or invented. Spelled *storey* in British English, it also means a floor of a building — and the two are the same word. The likeliest explanation is medieval: the windows or facades of each floor were decorated with painted or sculpted scenes, so each level literally told a story. American English spells both *story*. Latin *historia* is the root, which also gives *history*.
- A narrative. *A short story.*
- A building floor. *A three-storey house.*
- A news item. *The front-page story.*
- History — the same root. *History.*
- Latin — *historia*. *The source.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | story | A story. |
| Plural | stories | Stories. |
| Floor (UK) | storey | A storey. |
| Plural (UK) | storeys | Storeys. |
| Related | history | History. |
- She told a long story.Narrative.
- A four-storey building.British spelling.
- Historia gave both words.Etymology.
Counting floors differently
- Britain — ground floor, then first floor above it
- America — first floor at street level, then second
- A British first floor is an American second floor
- Many buildings skip 13 for superstition
- Some Asian buildings skip 4, since the word resembles death in several languages
Anglo-French *estorie*, from Latin *historia*, a narrative or account, from Greek *historia*, an inquiry.
Why is a floor called a storey?
Probably because medieval buildings decorated each level's windows or facade with painted scenes, so each floor told a story.
Story or storey?
British English uses storey for floors and story for narratives. American English uses story for both.