historian

noun

his·​to·​ri·​an hi-ˈstȯr-ē-ən How to pronounce historian (audio)
-ˈstär-
1
: a student or writer of history
especially : one who produces a scholarly synthesis
2
: a writer or compiler of a chronicle

Examples of historian in a Sentence

historians are still trying to sort out fact from fiction in the story of Kateri Tekakwitha, the Lily of the Mohawks
Recent Examples on the Web Our office will continue to work with military historians, Ft. Eric Adler, Kansas City Star, 4 Mar. 2024 Directed by Andre Gaines and narrated by Don Cheadle, the two-hour documentary will feature archival footage, animation and interviews with journalists, historians and Owens daughters as well as athletes including Carl Lewis, Noah Lyles, Erriyon Knighton, and Christian Coleman, among others. Selome Hailu, Variety, 4 Mar. 2024 Sarah and Jane have lived relatively private lives since Diana’s death in 1997, while Charles, an author, historian and podcast host, has been a vocal protector of Diana's legacy. Bailey Richards, Peoplemag, 2 Mar. 2024 The exhibition was organized by Huntington curator Dennis Carr with art historians Jacqueline Francis of the California College of the Arts and John P. Bowles of the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. Christopher Knight, Los Angeles Times, 1 Mar. 2024 And on and on. Pant, the Indian food historian says the history of butter chicken will always be elusive. Omkar Khandekar, NPR, 1 Mar. 2024 In fact, the historian Fred Siegel once described the late 1940s and early ’50s as the moment when the isolationists attempted to exact revenge. Franklin Foer, The Atlantic, 1 Mar. 2024 As historians and journalists such as Jon Meacham, Michael Beschloss or Rachel Maddow frequently write and talk about, the greatest danger to democracy doesn’t come from attacking its forms, such as a flag, a pillared building, or a voting booth. Ginny Whitelaw, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024 The astronomer and the historian sought out observational evidence for one of these events in the historical record. Kim Beil, Smithsonian Magazine, 1 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'historian.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of historian was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near historian

Cite this Entry

“Historian.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/historian. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

historian

noun
his·​to·​ri·​an his-ˈtōr-ē-ən How to pronounce historian (audio)
-ˈtȯr-,
-ˈtär-
: a student or writer of history

More from Merriam-Webster on historian

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