a means of learning about something by considering its origins and development
historical method in American English
noun
the process of establishing general facts and principles through attention to chronology and to the evolution or historical course of what is being studied
Word origin
[1835–45]This word is first recorded in the period 1835–45. Other words that entered Englishat around the same time include: crosshead, cutaway, ecumenical, hybridize, squeegee
Examples of 'historical method' in a sentence
historical method
From 1800, the historical method joins with a more philosophical interest in poetics and criticism.