prosopography
- noun
- /ˌprɒsəˈpɒɡrəfi/
- Specialized
:
prosopografía
- A detailed prosopography can reveal patterns among members of a medieval guild.
Examples
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Researchers compiled a prosopography of early university graduates to study social mobility.
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The historian used a prosopography to analyze the backgrounds of political leaders in ancient Rome.
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The historian published a detailed prosopography of the Roman elite.
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Many scholars are interested in prosopographies of ancient civilizations.
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The historian's prosopography revealed fascinating insights into the lives of ordinary people in ancient Rome.
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A thorough prosopography can help researchers understand the collective characteristics of a community during a specific period.
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In her book, the author presents a detailed prosopography of women who contributed to science throughout history.
How Detailed
Surface Forms
Morphology
prosopography = prosopo + graphy
Although the word is historically built from the learned elements 'prosopo' and '-graphy', the components are not transparent to most B1 learners and the specialized meaning is not straightforwardly predictable.
Etymology
The word prosopography comes from Greek parts: prosop- meaning 'face' or 'person' and -graphy meaning 'writing' or 'record', the same ending as in biography and photograph. So a prosopography is like a written 'group portrait', a collection of life details used to find patterns among people.