diachronic
Sep. 22nd, 2022 07:38 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
prettygoodworddiachronic (day-uh-KRON-ik) - adj., occurring over or changing with time; of, pertaining to or concerned with changes that occur over time.
Originally coined (in French in the early 20th century by Ferdinand de Saussure as diachronique) specifically to discuss linguistic features as they change over time -- such as the drift in meanings that so often get noted around here -- but its use has expanded (over time!) to be more generalized. The contrast word is synchronic, taking in a system in question (such as a language or dialect) at a specific time. The roots btw are Ancient Greek diá, through/across/over + khronos, time.
---L.
Originally coined (in French in the early 20th century by Ferdinand de Saussure as diachronique) specifically to discuss linguistic features as they change over time -- such as the drift in meanings that so often get noted around here -- but its use has expanded (over time!) to be more generalized. The contrast word is synchronic, taking in a system in question (such as a language or dialect) at a specific time. The roots btw are Ancient Greek diá, through/across/over + khronos, time.
---L.
