parachronism

A historian points out a parachronism in the film's depiction of a medieval market.

Definition

Noun: A parachronism is an error in chronology, specifically the assignment of a person, event, custom, or object to a date later than its actual historical occurrence. It is the opposite of an anachronism (which places something earlier than its correct time).

Usage Examples

• (A chronological error placing something later than its true date.)
• (An error of placing a modern item in an earlier time period.)
• (A mistake in dating an element to a later period.)

Advanced Usage

• "to be guilty of parachronism": to make a chronological error by dating something too late.
  • The textbook is guilty of parachronism, placing the first moon landing in the 1970s instead of 1969. (The textbook incorrectly assigns a later date.)

Variants and Related Words

• Parachronistic (adj): relating to or characterized by a parachronism.

  • The parachronistic detail of a helicopter in a World War I film was criticized by reviewers. (The detail was historically inaccurate due to being placed too late.)

• Parachronistically (adv): in a manner that involves a parachronism.

  • The painting was parachronistically dated to the 17th century, though it was created in the 15th. (The dating was erroneously late.)

Synonyms

• Postdating: the act of assigning a later date to something than the actual one.
• Late dating: a chronological error that places an event or object too far in the future relative to its true time.

Related Idioms

• "Out of time": (used loosely) to be historically misplaced, often implying a later date.
  • The smartphone in the 1920s film was out of time, a clear parachronism. (The object was historically inaccurate due to being too advanced for its setting.)

Notes

• Parachronism is less common than anachronism, but it is a precise term for chronological errors that shift events or objects in time. It is used primarily in historical analysis, literature, and art criticism.