Where does “historian” come from?
Historian comes from Middle English historien, from Old French historien, from Latin historia, from Ancient Greek ἱστορία, derived from the verb ἱστορέω and the agent noun ἵστωρ, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European weyd- meaning to see or know, with the agent noun wéydtōr.
historian (English): A writer of history
Definitions
- A writer of history
Ancestry of “historian”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | historian | — |
| 2 | Old French | historien | — |
| 3 | Latin | historia | history; account; story |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | ἱστορία | inquiry, examination, systematic observation,... |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | ἱστορέω | to inquire, ask; to examine, observe; to record,... |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | ἵστωρ | one who knows law and right, judge; witness; a... |
| 7 | Proto-Hellenic | wístōr | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | wéydtōr | one who has seen, one who knows |
| 9 | Indo-European | *weyd- | — |