French word

historien

Pronunciation

IPA/istoʁjɛ̃/

Meaning

  • masculine nounhistorian

Example

Mon oncle est historien.

My uncle is a historian.

Illustration for historien (historian)

More examples

Le musée a engagé un historien pour l'exposition.

The museum hired a historian for the exhibition.

Core concept

A scholar who interprets documents and events from the past for teaching or publication.

Common phrases

  • interroger un historien

    question a historian

  • un historien local

    a local historian

  • faire appel à un historien

    call on a historian

Similar words

histoire: Past events, or the records and narratives that describe them.
professeur: A professional who teaches a specialized subject at a school or university.
chercheur: A professional who studies sources and data to discover new knowledge.

Definition in French

Personne dont l'activité principale est la recherche, l'enseignement ou la publication d'études sur l'histoire.

Word origin

Historien is formed from histoire and the person-forming suffix -ien; histoire ultimately derives from Greek historia through Latin.

Usage tips

  • The feminine form is historienne, whereas historique is the adjective meaning historical and is not a noun for a historian.

Related words

  • historiennefemale historiannoun

Word lists with this word