diachrony

noun

di·​ach·​ro·​ny dī-ˈa-krə-nē 

1

: diachronic analysis

2

: change extending through time

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from French diachronie, from dia- dia- + Greek chrónos "time, duration" (of obscure origin) + French -ie -y entry 2

Note: Term introduced, along with the adjective diachronique, by Ferdinand de saussure in the posthumously published Cours de linguistigue générale (Lausanne/Paris, 1916), compiled from lecture notes by his students. See also synchronic, synchrony.

First Known Use

circa 1939, in the meaning defined at sense 1