'chronicle-writer' originates from English, specifically a compound of the words 'chronicle' and 'writer', where 'chronicle' ultimately comes from Late Latin 'chronica' (from Greek 'khronikos') meaning 'of time' and 'writer' comes from Old English 'writere' meaning 'one who writes'.

'chronicle' changed from Greek 'khronikos' to Late Latin 'chronica', passed through Old French 'cronique' and Middle English 'cronicle' before becoming modern English 'chronicle'. 'Writer' developed from Old English 'writere' (from the verb 'writan'). The compound form 'chronicle-writer' is a transparent, modern English compound analogous in meaning to the older single-word 'chronicler'.

Initially 'chronicle' referred to a written record of events in time and 'writer' to someone who writes; over time the compound 'chronicle-writer' has been used to mean essentially the same thing as 'chronicler'—a person who records events in chronological order.