/ hɪˈstɒrɪk; NAmE -ˈstɔːr-; -ˈstɑːr-/ adjective [ usually before noun ]
1.
important in history; likely to be thought of as important at some time in the future :
a historic building / monument
The area is of special historic interest.
a historic occasion / decision / day / visit / victory
2.
of a period during which history was recorded :
in historic times
—compare prehistoric
HELP NOTE : 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.
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WHICH WORD
historic / historical
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.
Historical usually describes something that is connected with the past or with the study of history, or something that really happened in the past:
I have been doing some historical research.
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Was Robin Hood a historical figure?
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WORD ORIGIN
early 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 .