chronology

/krəˈnɑlədʒi/

/krəˈnɒlədʒi/

Other forms: chronologies

A chronology is like a timeline: it tells what happened when. A chronology of your day would begin when you wake up and end when you go to sleep. Hopefully, something interesting happened in between.

Khronos is the Greek word for "time" and that's where chronology comes from. If a movie has a lot of flashbacks or doesn't tell a story straight through from beginning to end, you might have to give it some thought in order to put together a chronology of events. If you are a detective, a correct chronology could be important to solving your case.

Definitions of chronology

1. noun

   an arrangement of events in time
   type of:

   temporal relation

   a relation involving time
2. noun

   the determination of the actual temporal sequence of past events
   types:

   glottochronology

   the determination of how long ago different languages evolved from a common source language

   type of:

   arts, humanistic discipline, humanities, liberal arts

   studies intended to provide general knowledge and intellectual skills (rather than occupational or professional skills)
3. noun

   a record of events in the order of their occurrence
   types:

   timeline

   a sequence of related events arranged in chronological order and displayed along a line (usually drawn left to right or top to bottom)

   type of:

   written account, written record

   a written document preserving knowledge of facts or events