seriation

noun

se·​ri·​a·​tion

plural -s

1

: formation, arrangement, succession, or position in a series or orderly sequence

2

: a method of determining a chronology (as for archaeological material) by a detailed study of a particular style or type (as of potsherds) that reveals an increase or decrease in the popularity of the style giving a tentative scale from early to late

Word History

Etymology

Latin series + English -ation

First Known Use

1658, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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