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

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

To Barnhart, this "historical" method in an ordinary desk dictionary seems absurd.

From Time Magazine Archive

For writing Cordelia Chantrell he evidently added to his historical method a study of fine prose and much thought on the fine temper of his Southern acqaintances.

From Time Magazine Archive

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

Historians continue to debate what aspects and practices of investigating primary sources should be considered, and what constitutes a primary source when developing the most effective historical method.

From Textbooks