historicism
|hi-sto-ri-cism|
🇺🇸
/hɪˈstɔːrɪsɪzəm/
🇬🇧
/hɪˈstɒrɪsɪz(ə)m/
explain by historical context
Etymology
'historicism' originates from English combining 'historic' + the suffix '-ism' (coined in the 19th century), where 'historic' ultimately comes from Latin/Greek 'historic(us)' related to 'historia' meaning 'inquiry, account, history'.
'historic' derives from Latin 'historicus' and Greek 'historikos' from 'historia' ('inquiry, narrative'), which passed into Old French and Middle English as 'history'/'historic' and in the 19th century formed the modern English noun 'historicism' by adding '-ism'.
Initially related simply to 'history' or 'historical study', the term developed in the 19th century to denote specific theoretical positions that explain phenomena primarily in terms of their historical development; later it also came to describe stylistic revivalism in the arts.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
the theory or approach that emphasizes the importance of historical context in understanding ideas, institutions, or cultural phenomena; the belief that social and cultural phenomena are shaped or determined by history.
Many scholars criticized political theories that ignored historicism and the role of changing historical conditions.
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Noun 2
in art, architecture, and literature, the deliberate revival or imitation of historical styles or the tendency to favor historical models over innovation.
Victorian-era architecture often shows historicism, combining Gothic and classical elements.
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Last updated: 2025/10/19 20:50