diachrony

[dahy-ak-ruh-nee]

noun, plural di·ach·ro·nies.

Linguistics.
1. a diachronic approach to language study.
2. change or development in a linguistic system over a period of time.
historical change.

Origin of diachrony

First recorded in 1955–60; diachron(ic) + -y³

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018