early 15c., narracioun, "act of telling a story or recounting in order the particulars of some action, occurrence, or affair," also "that which is narrated or recounted, a story, an account of events," from Old French narracion "account, statement, a relating, recounting, narrating, narrative tale," and directly from Latin narrationem (nominative narratio) "a relating, narrative," noun of action from past-participle stem of narrare "to tell, relate, recount, explain," literally "to make acquainted with," from gnarus "knowing," from PIE *gne-ro-, suffixed form of root *gno- "to know."