diachronic

[ dahy-uh-kron-ik ]
/ ˌdaɪ əˈkrɒn ɪk /

adjective Linguistics.

of or relating to the changes in a linguistic system between successive points in time; historical: diachronic analysis.
Compare synchronic.

Origin of diachronic

1925–30; < French diachronique (term introduced by F. de Saussure); see dia-, chronic

OTHER WORDS FROM diachronic

di·a·chron·i·cal·ly, adverb di·a·chron·ic·ness, noun

Example sentences from the Web for diachronic

  • The two creations,—the extinct and the extant,—or rather the prochronic and the diachronic—here unite.

    Omphalos |Philip Henry Gosse
  • Now, again I repeat, there is no imaginable difference to sense between the prochronic and the diachronic development.

    Omphalos |Philip Henry Gosse

British Dictionary definitions for diachronic

diachronic
/ (ˌdaɪəˈkrɒnɪk) /

adjective

of, relating to, or studying the development of a phenomenon through time; historical diachronic linguistics Compare synchronic

Word Origin for diachronic

C19: from dia- + Greek khronos time

Medical definitions for diachronic

diachronic
[ dī′ə-krŏnĭk ]

adj.

Of or concerned with phenomena as they change through time.