Dictionary.com

historical linguistics

noun (used with a singular verb)

the study of changes in a language or group of languages over a period of time.

QUIZZES

BECOME A PRO CHEF WITH THIS EXQUISITE CUISINE QUIZ!

Even if you can't be a professional chef, you can at least talk like one with this vocabulary quiz.
Question 1 of 9
You may have read the word "simmer" in a recipe or two, but what does it really mean?
To cook in water that begins cold and then reaches a boil.
To stew in a sauce for a long time.
To cook in water, just below boiling temperature.
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT
Also called diachronic linguistics.

Origin of historical linguistics

First recorded in 1920–25

Words nearby historical linguistics

historic, historical, historical-cost accounting, historical fiction, historical geology, historical linguistics, historical materialism, historical method, historical novel, historical present, historical school
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

British Dictionary definitions for historical linguistics

historical linguistics

noun

(functioning as singular) the study of language as it changes in the course of time, with a view either to discovering general principles of linguistic change or to establishing the correct genealogical classification of particular languagesAlso called: diachronic linguistics Compare descriptive linguistics
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