a. and sb. [ad. G. statistik sb. statistisch adj., F. statistique adj. and fem. sb., ad. mod.L. statisticus, f. *statista (It. statista) STATIST. Cf. It. statistico adj., statistica sb., Sp., Pg. estadístico adj., estadística sb.
The earliest known occurrence of the word seems to be in the title of the satirical work Microscopium Statisticum, by ‘Helenus Politanus,’ Frankfort (?), 1672. Here the sense is prob. ‘pertaining to statists or to statecraft’ (cf. STATISTICAL a. 1). The earliest use of the adj. in anything resembling its present meaning is found in mod.L. statisticum collegium, said to have been used by Martin Schmeizel (professor at Jena, died 1747) for a course of lectures on the constitutions, resources, and policy of the various States of the world. The G. statistik was used as a name for this department of knowledge by G. Achenwall in his Vorbereitung zur Staatswissenschaft (1748); the context shows that he did not regard the term as novel. The F. statistique sb. is cited by Littré from Bachaumont (died 1771); Fr. writers of the 18th c. refer to Achenwall as having brought the word into use. The sense-development of the word may have been influenced by the notion that it was a direct derivative of L. status STATE sb.]
A. adj.
1. = STATISTICAL 2. Now rare.
1789. Polit. Geog.; Introd. Statist. Tables Europe, 17. With a view to facilitate the study of the Statistic science.
1802–12. Bentham, Ration. Judic. Evid. (1827), II. 597. The sort of collateral use thus capable of being derived from any article of official evidence, may be termed the statistic use.
1851. Mrs. Browning, Casa Guidi Wind., I. 892. The poet who neglects pure truth to prove Statistic fact.
† 2. Political. Obs. rare.
1824. Southey, Bk. Ch. (1841), 298. The religious and the statistic measures must not be confounded.
3. Of or pertaining to status.
1871. Poste, trans. Instit. Gaius, IV. § 6. Comm. 404. Their title is a breach of contract or the violation of some real right, statistic, primordial, or proprietary.
B. sb.
1. = STATISTICS 1. rare.
1796. Morse, Amer. Geog., II. 228. (Germany) Academical sciences … under the name of Technology, Economy, Science of Finances, and Statistic.
1864. Kingsley, Rom. & Teut., ix. 232. Till that point is reached, the history of the masses will be mere statistic concerning their physical well-being or ill-being.
¶ b. The alleged sense ‘a statistical statement’ (Cent. Dict.), ‘any statistical element’ (Webster, 1911) seems to be merely inferred from the plural use in STATISTICS 2. But cf. STATISTICS 2 b.
2. = STATISTICIAN.
1804. Southey, Lett. to W. Taylor, 1 July, in Robberds, Mem. Taylor (1843), I. 508. Henley said you were the best statistic in Europe.
1898. Westm. Gaz., 22 Sept., 3/2. It is the province of the statistic to upset fixed notions, to compare the actual with the accepted.
