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

The question of the nature, and even the possibility, of a sound historical method is so central that it has been continuously raised in the philosophy of history as a question of epistemology.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2019

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

In the introduction to vol. ii. he carefully analyses the principles of sound historical method and the essentials of a trustworthy historical record.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 3, Slice 7 "Bible" to "Bisectrix" by Various