historic
adjective /hɪˈstɒrɪk/
/hɪˈstɔːrɪk/
[usually before noun]- important in history; likely to be thought of as important at some time in the future
- the restoration of historic buildings
- a historic monument/landmark
- Take a tour of historic sites in the old city.
- Visit historic Chester.
- It was a great fight, a historic moment in Irish sport.
- Murals depict the region's historic events.
- a truly historic occasion
- The area is of special historic interest.
- The party has won a historic victory at the polls.
Which Word? historic / historicalhistoric / historicalTopics Historyb1- Historic is usually used to describe something that is so important that it is likely to be remembered:
- Today is a historic occasion for our country.
- I have been doing some historical research.
- Was Robin Hood a historical figure?
- of a period during which history was recorded
- in historic times
- (of a crime or claim) that took place in the past but was not dealt with at the time
- There is still more to be done to right the historic injustice of slavery.
- The tribunal will consider historic claims dating back to 1840.
Some speakers do not pronounce the ‘h’ at the beginning of historic and use ‘an’ instead of ‘a’ before it. This now sounds old-fashioned.
Word Originearly 17th cent. (in the sense ‘relating to or in accordance with history’): via Latin from Greek historikos, from historia ‘narrative, knowing by enquiry’, from histōr ‘learned, wise man’, from an Indo-European root shared by wit ‘have knowledge’.