noun
A historical record arranged by year. Often used for formal or academic historical accounts.
この年代記は12世紀の出来事を詳しく記している。
This chronicle records the events of the 12th century in detail.
記録 is a broader term for any record or documentation, not necessarily chronological.
Compound of 年代 (ねんだい, 'era, years') and 記 (き, 'record, chronicle'). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the word follows a common Sino-Japanese pattern for historical records.