cliometrics
noun
clio·met·rics
ˌklī-ə-ˈme-triks
plural in form but singular in construction
: the application of methods developed in other fields (such as economics, statistics, and data processing) to the study of history
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Cliometrics comes from a combination of "Clio," the name of the Greek Muse of history, and "-metrics," as in "econometrics" ("the application of statistical methods to the study of economic data and problems") or "biometrics" ("the statistical analysis of biological observations and phenomena"). American economists Douglass North and Robert Fogel developed cliometrics, a highly quantitative means for studying the past. In 1993, North and Fogel won the Nobel Prize in Economics for their pioneering work.
Cite this Entry
“Cliometrics.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cliometrics. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.
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