historian

Pronunciation

• IPA: /hɪˈstɔːɹɪən/, /hɪˈstɔəɹɪən/ (UK); /hɪˈstɔɹi.ən/ (US)^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Middle French historien,^[2][3] from Latin historia (“narrative of past events”) (see history),^[4][2] with a French suffix modelled on words such as logicien.^[5] Etymonline treats it as if from a Medieval Latin *historiānus.^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

An author of history: the mid-15th century in Etymonline, the 15th century in Merriam-Webster;^[4][2] the OED's first quotation is from 1531.^[6]

Semantic evolution

As a writer of history in the higher sense, distinguished from an annalist or chronicler, it is from the 1530s.^[4][6] A teller of a narrative or tale is from 1586,^[6] and a person versed in history from about 1645.^[6] Old English words for the idea were þēodwita and wyrdwritere.^[4]

Timeline

• mid-15th century – an author of history.^[4]
• 1531 – a writer of history.^[6]
• 1586 – a storyteller.^[6]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. A person who writes or studies history, especially an expert in it.
2. A person who keeps a chronological record of events; a chronicler.

Related words

• history
• story
• historic
• historical

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
3. ^ Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
4. ^ a b c d e f Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
5. ^ Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
6. ^ a b c d e f Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press