1. A person whose job or interest is to study the past, especially by examining doc
1.nounB1
Definition
A person whose job or interest is to study the past, especially by examining documents, objects, and other evidence, and to write about what happened and why.
Example
Tamar was a historian at the museum, studying old letters and maps from the 1800s.
collocation: worked as a historian
The book was praised by historians for its careful use of original source material.
passive: praised by historians
Kabir decided to become a historian after visiting the ancient ruins in his home country.
collocation: become a historian
Camila interviewed a military historian for her school project on the Second World War.
collocation: military historian
Feng is a well-known historian of Chinese art and architecture.
A historian studies and writes about history, using analysis and interpretation of evidence to explain why events happened. A chronicler records events as they occur, often in a straightforward timeline without much analysis. An archivist preserves and organises historical documents and records but may not write about them. An antiquarian collects and studies old objects, focusing on rare or curious items rather than the broader story of the past. For example, a historian might write a book about the causes of a war, a chronicler would list battles in order, and an archivist would keep the soldiers' letters safe in a library.
From Latin 'historia' meaning 'story or account of past events', through French 'historien'. The '-ian' ending means 'one who does or is skilled in', so a historian is literally 'one who is skilled in history'.