glottochronology

American

[glot-oh-kruh-nol-uh-jee, glot-uh-] / ˌglɒt oʊ krəˈnɒl ə dʒi, ˌglɒt ə- /

noun

Linguistics.

the branch of lexicostatistics that studies the rate of replacement of vocabulary and attempts to determine what percentage of basic vocabulary two presently distinct but related languages share, using the information thus obtained to estimate how long ago they ceased being a single language.

glottochronology British

/ ˌɡlɒtəʊkrəˈnɒlədʒɪ /

noun

the use of lexicostatistics to establish that languages are historically related

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of glottochronology

First recorded in 1950–55; glotto- + chronology

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Using glottochronology he estimated that the ancestors of Aleuts had crossed the strait around 2000 b.c. and that the ancestors of Na-Dene had made the journey around 7000 B.C.

From Literature

The testimony extends to cemeteries: It matters who is buried with whom or close to whom; to the evolution of words: What Beneviste called glottochronology; to contracts.

From Project Gutenberg

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023