historical method

American  

noun

1. the process of establishing general facts and principles through attention to chronology and to the evolution or historical course of what is being studied.

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historical method British  

noun

1. a means of learning about something by considering its origins and development

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Etymology

Origin of historical method

First recorded in 1835–45

Example Sentences

And that's another reason why I admire Murray so much is that he was very true to the scientific method and the historical method of the Dictionary.

From Salon • Oct. 22, 2023

Jenkins describes herself as “a prosecutor who is looking away from the historical method of punishment and incarceration,” an echo of Price and of Boudin.

From Washington Post • Mar. 20, 2023

Likewise, the Greeks were the first to systematically employ the essential historical method of using primary sources written or experienced at the time as the basis of historical research.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2020

Dray’s historical method involves a bit of overlapping and backtracking, and he sometimes seems more interested in the literary description and public presentation of hunting rather than the act itself.

From New York Times • Jun. 22, 2018

Firstly, the practice of the historical method of investigation, of which the principles have been sketched in the present volume, is very hygienic for the mind, which it cures of credulity.

From Introduction to the Study of History by Berry, George Godfrey