annalism
|an-na-lism|
🇺🇸
/ˈæn.əˌlɪzəm/
🇬🇧
/ˈæn.ə.lɪzəm/
year-by-year record practice
Etymology
'annalism' originates from Modern English formation, specifically from the noun 'annal' + the suffix '-ism' meaning 'practice or system'.
'annal' came into English from Latin 'annales' (plural of 'annalis'), which itself derived from Latin 'annus' meaning 'year'; English formed 'annal' (a yearly record) and later created 'annalism' to denote the practice or doctrine.
Initially related directly to 'annals' as yearly records, over time it came to denote both the practice of keeping such records and, more broadly, a historiographical tendency emphasizing chronological accounts.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
the practice or habit of keeping annals — i.e., year-by-year records or chronicles of events.
Annals and annalism were central to medieval monasteries that recorded events year by year.
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Noun 2
a historiographical approach or tendency that emphasizes chronological, year-by-year accounts rather than broad thematic or analytical narratives.
Some critics argue that excessive annalism can obscure larger social and economic patterns in history.
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Last updated: 2025/08/15 00:21