Definition of timeline

The word "timeline" has its origins in the mid-19th century. The term "line of time" was first used in the 1840s to describe a chronological arrangement of events. In the late 19th century, the term "time line" emerged, and by the early 20th century, it had shortened to simply "timeline." The concept of a timeline was likely influenced by the way clockmakers depicted the passage of time on a linear scale. This visual representation of time helped people organize and understand the sequence of events and dates. In the 20th century, the term "timeline" gained popularity in fields like history, science, and production planning, where it was used to illustrate the sequence of events and milestones in a project or process. Today, the term "timeline" is widely used in a variety of contexts to represent a chronological sequence of events.