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Diachronic

[di-ə-KRAH-nik]

Part of speech: adjective

Origin: Greek, mid-19th century

1.

Concerned with the way in which something, especially language, has developed and evolved through time.

Examples of Diachronic in a sentence

"The census provides a diachronic set of data."

"If you know a family long enough, you can track diachronic development."

About Diachronic

This word comes from Greek. “Dia-” means “through,” ‘khronos” means “time,” and “-ic” is a suffix that helps to form the adjective.

Did you Know?

Diachronic elements are often contrasted with ones that are synchronic. While both are often related to the development of language, diachronic examination is the study of linguistics over time. Synchronic study is concerned with it as it exists during one fixed point in time.

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