prosopography

noun

pros·​o·​pog·​ra·​phy ˌprä-sə-ˈpä-grə-fē 

: a study that identifies and relates a group of persons or characters within a particular historical or literary context

prosopographical

ˌprä-sə-pə-ˈgra-fi-kəl 

adjective

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from German Prosopographie, borrowed from New Latin prosopographia "description of an individual's personal appearance," from Greek prósōpon "face, mask, role, person" + New Latin -graphia -graphy — more at prosopopoeia

First Known Use

1896, in the meaning defined above