anachronism

The definition of anachronism is a person or thing that is placed in a time period where it does not fit.

(noun)

If a movie about ancient Egypt showed a Pharaoh wearing a wristwatch, the wristwatch would be an example of an anachronism.

See anachronism in Webster's New World College Dictionary

noun

the representation of something as existing or occurring at other than its proper time, esp. earlier
anything that is or seems to be out of its proper time in history

Origin: MGr anachronismos < anachronizein, to refer to a wrong time < Gr ana-, against + chronos, time

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See anachronism in American Heritage Dictionary 4

noun

The representation of someone as existing or something as happening in other than chronological, proper, or historical order.
One that is out of its proper or chronological order, especially a person or practice that belongs to an earlier time: “A new age had plainly dawned, an age that made the institution of a segregated picnic seem an anachronism” (Henry Louis Gates, Jr.)

Origin:

Origin: French anachronisme

Origin: , from New Latin anachronismus

Origin: , from Late Greek anakhronismos

Origin: , from anakhronizesthai, to be an anachronism

Origin: : Greek ana-, ana-

Origin: + Greek khronizein, to take time (from khronos, time)

Related Forms: