hist.

Noun

historian (plural historians)

1. A writer of history.

   Synonyms:

   commentator

2. One who studies or researches history.
   • If this is what real people and societies are like, then it may be appropriate for historians to represent their subjects' lives in storylike form.1992, Jonathan Gorman, Understanding history, page 65
3. One who recounts their own medical history.
   • The patient is unconscious when the syncopal event takes place and therefore is a poor historian.2007, Joyce E. Dains, Linda Ciofu Baumann, Pamela Scheibel, Advanced Health Assessment and Clinical Diagnosis in Primary Care

Adjective

historical (comparative more historical, superlative most historical)

1. Of, concerning, or in accordance with recorded history, (particularly) as opposed to legends, myths, and fictions.
   • July 4, 1776, is a historic date. A great deal of historical research has been done on the events leading up to that day.
   1. About history; depicting persons or events from history.
      • There is no acknowledgment—because there is no understanding—that sometimes historical fiction departs from facts in order to reach for more abstract, thematic, or complexly intuitive truths that even the most diligently fact-checked histories and biographies can fail to illuminate.2015 January 28, Mark Harris, “How 'Selma' Got Smeared”, in Grantland
2. Of, concerning, or in accordance with the past generally.
   • Sith thou gaue to vs a floure most riall Redolent in cronicles with historicall syght.1521, Henry Bradshaw, The Holy Lyfe and History of Saynt Werburge, Ballad 1
   1. Set in the past.
   2. (uncommon) Former, erstwhile; (religious, obsolete) lapsed, nominal.
      • But concerning some persons of your neighbourhood... their Confession [of Faith] is rather an opinion than a true and sincere earnestness, for all of them are not that which they boast and glory to be; there may be many honest hearts among them; but many of them are only historical and titular, and...1886, Jacob Boehme translated by John Ellistone in Works, volume 1, epistle 2, §49, page 39
   3. One of various tenses or moods used to tell about past events, historic (tense).
      • The historical present is often treated as a principal tense, but there are exceptions and sometimes both constructions appear in the same passage.2010, Gerd Haverling, “Actionality, tense, and viewpoint”, in New Perspectives on Historical Latin Syntax, page 363

See all 12 meanings of historical