eth·no·his·to·ry (ěth'nō-hĭs'tə-rē) n. The study of especially native or non-Western peoples from a combined historical and anthropological viewpoint, using written documents, oral literature, material culture, and ethnographic data. eth'no·his·to'ri·an (-hĭ-stôr'ē-ən, -stōr'-, stŏr'-) n., eth'no·his·to'ric (-hĭ-stôr'ĭk, -stŏr'-), eth'no·his·to'ri·cal adj.