Unless you’re talking about an incredibly small library, the term “10-story building” likely refers to a structure with 10 distinct levels. The word “story” has long been used as a synonym for “floor” or “tier” in the world of architecture. While the term’s origins have been debated, the most popular theory is rooted in Latin and takes us back to medieval times.
The Latin word historia originally meant “history,” though it acquired an additional usage in Middle English as “floor of a building” by roughly the year 1200 CE. The theory behind this relates to how some buildings were designed and adorned in the Middle Ages.
According to Etymonline.com, many buildings were decorated with rows of painted windows, perhaps depicting historical scenes. The individual images in each row of windows collectively told a larger story. According to the theory, people began referring to each row of windows as a “storie” — a term that was also applied to each individual level. By the 15th century, “storie” had replaced “historia” in reference to either the external walls of a building or the “habitable space between a floor and a ceiling of a building.”
But that’s just one theory, and there are two simpler theories worth mentioning. Some say the word is derived from the Gaelic staidhir, translating to “flight of stairs.” Others claim it’s derived from the Old French estoree, meaning “built thing.”
It’s difficult to definitively say which of these theories is correct, but we do know that the Latin word historia evolved into storyes in Old English by the late 14th century, and it was spelled as either “story” or “storie” no later than the 17th century. In modern English, it’s “story” to Americans and “storey” to those using British English.
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