MEANING
Examining change across different times rather than only a single period.
Use it for
language change; evolving institutions; development of conceptsMark an analysis that follows a concept or system through time.
Words that belong together
- diachronic analysis
- diachronic perspective
- diachronic change
On the page
The diachronic analysis traces how the word's meaning changed across three centuries.
A diachronic account of citizenship reveals rights added in separate political struggles.
The study combines a diachronic narrative with a comparison of present-day dialects.
Nearby words
Opposite meanings
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Word forms
- Base
- diachronic
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Usage notes
Primary category: academic. Academic, common in linguistics and history. A diachronic account traces development; it is not simply about old things. Explain the term for nonspecialist readers. Normally non-gradable in this sense; comparison requires a specific contextual scale. Derived family (not inflections): diachrony, diachronically.
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