historic
adjective
- unique and of great importance
- of importance or significance in history
Wiktionary
Pronunciation: /hɪˈstɒɹɪk/ / /ɪˈstɒɹɪk/ / /hɪˈstɔɹɪk/
adj
Etymology: From Latin historicus (“historical”), from Ancient Greek ἱστορικός (historikós, “exact; historical”). Cognate with French historique. By surface analysis, history + -ic.
- Very important; noteworthy: having importance or significance in history.
“A historic opportunity”
“July 4, 1776, is a historic date. A great deal of historical research has been done on the events leading up to that day.”
- Old-fashioned, untouched by modernity.
“Sights are thick sown in the counties of York and Nottingham: the former is more historic.”
- Synonym of historical: of, concerning, or in accordance with recorded history or the past generally (See usage notes.)
“An high-pac'd Muse treading a lofty march, leades honor enchaind in an Epique pen, grac'd with the furtherance of historique Clio.”
- Various grammatical tenses and moods specially used in retelling past events.
“The historic tenses include the imperfect, the pluperfect, and the future perfect.”
noun
Etymology: From Latin historicus (“historical”), from Ancient Greek ἱστορικός (historikós, “exact; historical”). Cognate with French historique. By surface analysis, history + -ic.
- A history, a non-fiction account of the past.
“Before the beginnyng of this historic, I haue thought good by waie of a Proeme, to introduce the wordes of an excellent writer called Lodouicus Caelius Rhodoginus.”
- A historian.