Questions tagged [terminology]

For questions about words, phrases and definitions specifically used by historians.

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Who coined the term Bantustan for the first time and why did they use the Persian suffix?

From the Wikipedia article for Bantustan: The term, first used in the late 1940s, was coined from Bantu (meaning "people" in some of the Bantu languages) and -stan (a suffix meaning "...
Etack Sxchange's user avatar
1 vote
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91 views

Is there an official historical term for the peephole (with a sliding shutter) in the castle and/or monastery entrance door?

I've searched and searched, and couldn't find anything sensible. I mean, "Judas window" is associated more with prisons than convents. And peepholes should not be rectangular, nor protected ...
Ricky's user avatar
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When were terms for points of sail first used?

Modern sailing uses terms for points of sail such as "broad reach", "beam reach", "close-hauled", etc., to indicate a vessel's travel in relation to the wind direction. ...
Daniel R. Collins's user avatar
5 votes
1 answer
298 views

How was the term "Mandate of Heaven" used during the rise and fall of Chinese dynasties?

The Mandate of Heaven (Chinese: 天命; pinyin: Tiānmìng; Wade–Giles: T'ien-ming; lit. 'Heaven's will') is a Chinese political philosophy that was used in ancient and imperial China to justify the rule of ...
Rebecca J. Stones's user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
221 views

Was the term "depression" (in the economic sense) originally coined to describe and downplay current events in the 1930s?

Several years ago, I heard someone claim that the distinction between "recession" and "depression" is less than 100 years old. Apparently all economic downturns used to be called ...
Mason Wheeler's user avatar
1 vote
2 answers
151 views

What is the correct English terminology to refer to New Mexico and Texas under Spain, then Mexico?

I am finding a strange inconsistency in sources between those about New Mexico's history and those about Texas. As I know, New Mexico and Texas both started as parts of New Spain, under Spanish rule, ...
Village's user avatar
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3k views

Why are baseball pitches that miss the strike zone called "balls"?

Many baseball terms have clear origin stories, such as "strike", which originally meant to actually swing or strike the bat at the ball. (The non-swinging strike didn't come about until ...
isherwood's user avatar
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1 answer
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What is a term for cultural and social influences left by colonial power that has a long-lasting, negative influence? [closed]

I'm currently doing research on colonial effects on North African countries, and one aspect I want to comment on are both the positive and negative effects of the previous colonial power. Some of ...
qxzsilver's user avatar
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2 votes
0 answers
116 views

After World War 2, was there a trend to say "defense" instead of "war"?

In answering a question whether "defense forces" has any legal meaning, I noticed a trend. Before World War 2 military departments and ministries used terms like "war". After World ...
Schwern's user avatar
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2 answers
184 views

What constitutes a country's military being called a "Defence Force"? [closed]

I've been looking at countries around the world, particularly Commonwealth countries. I've noticed Australia and New Zealand call their military a defence force. Is there a legal reason for this? This ...
Shaun Cockram's user avatar
1 vote
2 answers
305 views

How is the term "medieval" used to describe non-European civilizations and cultures?

I have done a quick Bing search, and the term refers to the Middle Ages, a time period in Western European history. It has the alternative meaning of "very old-fashioned or primitive". Yet, ...
Double U's user avatar
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When did the terms, 1-point, 2,-point, 3-point, etc... perspective come into use?

It is generally agreed upon that the architect Brunelleschi was the one that discovered the rules for perspective in the early 15th century. I have perused books like "On Painting" by Leon ...
Audus's user avatar
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2 answers
495 views

Why is Nazi Germany called a "fascist" regime?

Fascism is an Italian political system, but it has become a catch-all term for any oppressive government. If Nazi Germany is the most infamous example of a "fascist regime," why are they not ...
RakeALeaf's user avatar
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Is šns the correct term for "loaf of bread" in Kemetic Ancient Egyptian?

I am looking for the term "loaf of bread" that was used in ancient Egypt. This is a long timeframe, so I am looking for the term used in the middle period of ancient Egypt. I have found šns ...
Walter's user avatar
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3 answers
548 views

How long does a generation last?

Question: Generetion, as a time period, is a widespread concept (or perhaps an idea) in History, in Social Sciences, and also in common language. Do historians have some sort of consensus on the time ...
LuizZ's user avatar
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1 answer
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When did it become popular to drop the A.D. in dates?

Since when did it become popular to shorthand years from 2020 A.D. to 2020? I haven't seen anything after a google search, and in fact I wonder if it was even popular to use A.D., ever. I don't recall ...
girraiffe's user avatar
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1 answer
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Is there a name for the critical method of assessing historical narratives via the consultation of primary sources?

In natural science, an educated guess at scientific fact is called a hypothesis. Hypotheses are rigorously tried by experiments conducted repeatedly under carefully controlled conditions. This is ...
Foobie Bletch's user avatar
3 votes
1 answer
119 views

Why is the term "Ancestral Puebloans" used and not simply "Puebloans"?

I have seen various history textbooks use the term "Ancestral Puebloans" in referring to the a group who lived in the American Southwest prior to circa 1500. Most books say hese people dispersed and ...
Village's user avatar
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6 votes
4 answers
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Which is more correct, Carlos I or Carlos V?

I asked this in the Spanish StackExchange and they send me here. One very well known emperor of the Holy Roman Empire (HRE) is known as Charles V (or in Spanish: Carlos V), but it is also known as ...
Mauricio's user avatar
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Is there a consensus on when history began? [closed]

When did history begin, according to the most accepted view among Western historians'? (credible sources would be appreciated) I vaguely remember from my Marxist-oriented history courses in high ...
Vun-Hugh Vaw's user avatar
5 votes
1 answer
698 views

What did "Dr." after a person's or a business's name mean around the turn of the 20th century in the USA?

I am putting together a historical presentation about a late-19th / early 20th-century U. S. ruralite who was involved in many things including operating a general store. I have seen the abbreviation "...
KDW's user avatar
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1 answer
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Was the acronym BIOS (computing) intentional re: the Ancient Greek βίος? [closed]

I ask because other acronyms could certainly have been chosen, but BIOS has a specific meaning in Ancient Greek, which, along with Latin, are the source languages of much of our scientific terminology....
DukeZhou's user avatar
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3 answers
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What does "Depot Battalion" mean in Hart's Annual Army List?

Copies of Hart's Annual Army List are available online, and consist of a list of all British army officers employed in a given year. Some of the listings are self-explanatory (e.g. so-and-so with ...
John Doucette's user avatar
10 votes
4 answers
5k views

Why does the first decade of the 21st century start with 2000?

Wikipedia says that The 21st century began on January 1, 2001 and will end on December 31, 2100. The first decade of 21st century is the 2000s. Here Wikipedia says that The 2000s was a decade ...
user149054's user avatar
15 votes
3 answers
387 views

What is a "barso"? (ref. Richard Cocks' diaries)

Question In his diaries documenting his time in Japan, Richard Cocks mentions barsos frequently, apparently meaning some kind of liquid containing vessel (mostly in reference to [gifts of] alcohol, ...
iacob's user avatar
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13 votes
3 answers
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Circa 1000, what name would locals in England use for invaders?

If I am living in England around 1000 and some Scandinavian raiders show up at my village to pillage our farms, which phrase would I be most likely to be saying: "Oh no, here come the Vikings!" "Oh ...
rougon's user avatar
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4 votes
1 answer
573 views

What does the abbreviation "adhib." mean in historiography or archival science?

What does the abbreviation adhib. mean in the context of historiography and archival science? Remarks. This question is not about the meaning in medicine. This is easy to look up. Of course, ...
guest's user avatar
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9 votes
2 answers
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Why did Paul von Hindenburg wrongly call Adolf Hitler "Bohemian corporal"?

Paul von Hindenburg didn't like Adolf Hitler because he was a low-ranked individual from the poor/low class. He called him mockingly "Bohemian corporal". However in reality Adolf Hitler was not ...
Bregalad's user avatar
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13 votes
5 answers
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What is the name of the theory opposite to the Great Man theory?

The Great Man theory is a 19th-century idea according to which history can be largely explained by the impact of "great men", or heroes; highly influential individuals. In nearly every lecture on ...
Probably's user avatar
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10 votes
1 answer
1k views

What is the name of the Phoenician religion?

I am writing an article about a Phoenician king, Ithobaal I, and was curious about what religion Phoenicians had. Is there any technical term for it or is it just "Phoenician Religion" or "Phoenician ...
Christian Sirolli's user avatar
2 votes
2 answers
274 views

How is it determined what Culture is Period/Dynasty/Civilization part of?

I'm trying to make a fairly complete history for a con world and I'm looking at historical groups to make the history more realistic and I noticed something... At some point the names of these groups ...
Durakken's user avatar
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6 votes
1 answer
191 views

Where does the phrase "behind the wind" come from?

In Millennium: A History of the Last Thousand Years, chapter 4 ("The World Behind the Wind"), the second-to-last sentence: On the evidence of the events of the fifteenth century, in the world east ...
user avatar
1 vote
3 answers
487 views

Why some languages uses the term "high" to refer to an early period and the world "low" to refer to a late one? [closed]

Well, not exactly the terms "high" and "low" but the corresponding translations. Let's take for example the Middle Ages. The periodisation in English splits the Middle Ages in 3: Early Middle Ages ...
matiascelasco's user avatar
4 votes
1 answer
1k views

When did the term "mirror" begin to be used in place of "looking glass?"

As recently as 150 years ago (I'm thinking of Lewis Carrol's "Through the Looking Glass"), the term looking glass was used to denote what we today call a mirror. I'm wondering, however, when the ...
George A. Solodun's user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
106 views

What is the proper terminology for the changes that occur in a text throughout history?

What is the proper terminology for the changes that occur to a narrative/text throughout history? These changes could include: interpretation : such as modifying the narrative/text in order to ...
Integration's user avatar
12 votes
2 answers
484 views

Why were bows referred to as "Indian Artillery"?

So, I recently asked a question about dueling with bows. The top answer for that included an account in The Scottish Journal which described bows and arrows as "Indian Artillery", which is a ...
AJFaraday's user avatar
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5 votes
0 answers
399 views

When was the name of the Mexican war changed to Mexican-American war?

I learned recently (by having an answer marked wrong in Pub Quiz) that the conflict which was called the Mexican War when I was in school is now called the Mexican-American War. My question: When, ...
bof's user avatar
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7 votes
3 answers
1k views

As American as the Apple Pie?

After doing my own research I found that the apple pie was invented in England in the 1300's. With that being the case, why do we often hear the saying "It's as American as the apple pie"? Because I ...
trippt02's user avatar
  • 502
6 votes
1 answer
591 views

What is the term for a person who surveys the land and relays messages from a noble to his governed village?

The question is self-explanatory: What is the term for a person who surveys the land and relays messages from a noble to his governed village? The officer would: Survey the village or tenant, to ...
Satori Wita's user avatar
49 votes
16 answers
10k views

Has anyone ever named a war after their own country or faction?

An interesting conversation has come up on the Science Fiction and Fantasy SE site. I will try to summarize it as briefly as possible. Someone asked a question about the second Star Wars prequel. ...
Wad Cheber's user avatar
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3 votes
1 answer
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How do historians decide who to refer to as 'the allies?'

In many major wars one side has been branded collectively as the allies. In WWI and WWII we refer to the American/British coalition as the allies. I have heard Rome both fighting against the 'allies' ...
Jax's user avatar
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5 votes
2 answers
1k views

What is a knight of the windmill?

In Thomas Paine's The American Crisis, while ridiculing Sir William Howe and his recently obtained knighthood, said: As a proper preliminary towards the arrangement of your funeral honors, we ...
QMord's user avatar
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11 votes
6 answers
11k views

Early modern vs late modern vs post modern?

I frequently come across these three terms, but I haven't been able to find a source that explains the difference between all three of them precisely. Here's what I think I know now: The early ...
linstantnoodles's user avatar
5 votes
2 answers
379 views

'Sub rosa' council meetings

Wiktionary's etymology of the term sub rosa reads: The rose's connotation for secrecy dates back to Greek mythology. Aphrodite gave a rose to her son Eros, the god of love; he, in turn, gave it to ...
coleopterist's user avatar
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5 votes
2 answers
568 views

Who first coined the name "Wahhabi"?

Specifically, did Muslims coin it or non-Muslims? Is there any evidence, recorded in history, about the first usage of this term?
Battle of Karbala's user avatar
6 votes
1 answer
613 views

Vigenere vs. Bellaso

I noticed on the Wikipedia article for the Vigenere cipher, that: The Vigenère (French pronunciation: [viʒnɛːʁ]) cipher has been reinvented many times. The method was originally described by ...
Thomas's user avatar
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4 votes
6 answers
459 views

What lands have been called by names chosen to disassociate those lands from its inhabitants

Historically, the name "Persia" has been applied to southern Asia to disassociate that land from the people who inhabit it, who called themselves Aran. Similarly, the name "Palestine" has been applied ...
dotancohen's user avatar
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12 votes
2 answers
2k views

Why aren't the Americas named after Christopher Columbus

I was reading the question Why is Columbus Credited with Discovering America, and I wondered why aren't the Americas named after him? I was under the impression that although he is the one we credit ...
user avatar
14 votes
5 answers
2k views

Since the inception of the United States, has the term "America" ever referred to something more than simply "the United States"?

Today we use the terms America and the United States as synonyms. The official name of the country is The United States of America. But prompted by a question on another forum, wherein an author ...
Robusto's user avatar
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9 votes
3 answers
1k views

What Was "Courtly Love" (Amour Courtois?)

My understanding was that it was a form of "extramarital" romance for knights and nobles in Europe during the Middle Ages. Was it ever an "institution" anywhere, and what (if any) impact did it have ...
Tom Au's user avatar
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