historical linguistics

American

noun

(used with a singular verb)

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

historical linguistics British

noun

Also called: diachronic linguistics. (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 languages 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

Etymology

Origin of historical linguistics

First recorded in 1920–25

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.

See Examples For:

historical linguistics

As Levine was dissecting the painting, an associate professor of Spanish historical linguistics at Utrecht University named Dorien Nieuwenhuijsen was researching her family tree.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 26, 2026

These kinds of transitions make historical linguistics rather like archaeology.

From Scientific American ● Jun. 14, 2023

Davies, M. Expanding horizons in historical linguistics with the 400-million word Corpus of Historical American English.

From Nature ● Oct. 31, 2017

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