historical linguistics

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noun (used with a singular verb)

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

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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. 2023

How to use historical linguistics in a sentence

Historical justifications for most modern celebrations can be found in the ancient world.
New Year’s Eve, Babylon Style|Candida Moss|December 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Hitchcock had the historical good fortune to have worked from silent films through television.
Alfred Hitchcock’s Fade to Black: The Great Director’s Final Days|David Freeman|December 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The central thrust of the sequence derives from historical fact.
Alfred Hitchcock’s Fade to Black: The Great Director’s Final Days|David Freeman|December 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
If there was anyone who thought otherwise, he left no historical record.
Stonewall Jackson, VMI’s Most Embattled Professor|S. C. Gwynne|November 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST

“Unlike Turkey or Egypt, we have no art-historical tradition,” he told The Telegraph in 2002.
The Mysterious Death of the Art World’s Favorite Sheikh|Lizzie Crocker|November 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And I finished all with a brief historical account of affairs and events in England for about a hundred years past.
Gulliver's Travels|Jonathan Swift
Eustache le Sueur died; one of the best French historical painters of his time.
The Every Day Book of History and Chronology|Joel Munsell
He distinguished himself by several military exploits, and wrote some valuable historical works.
The Every Day Book of History and Chronology|Joel Munsell
Samuel Squire, bishop of St. David's died; a poetical, historical and antiquarian writer of note.
The Every Day Book of History and Chronology|Joel Munsell
Paul de Rapin de Thoyras, an eminent French historical writer, died.
The Every Day Book of History and Chronology|Joel Munsell

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