diachrony

noun

di·ach·ro·ny dī-ˈa-krə-nē

: diachronic analysis

: change extending through time

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from French diachronie, from dia- dia- + Greek chrónos "time, duration" (of obscure origin) + French -ie -y entry 2

Note: Term introduced, along with the adjective diachronique, by Ferdinand de saussure in the posthumously published Cours de linguistigue générale (Lausanne/Paris, 1916), compiled from lecture notes by his students. See also synchronic, synchrony.

First Known Use

circa 1939, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler

The first known use of diachrony was circa 1939

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