empirical
n. US //ˌɛmˈpɪɹɪkəɫ// UK //ɛmpˈɪɹɪkəl// em·pir·i·cal
-
1 a result from observation (n.) C2 Proficiency Academic Technical Sciencea piece of information or a measurement that comes from a real experiment.
a measurement, finding, or result obtained through empirical methods.
ExampleThe scientist recorded each empirical in her notebook during the trial.
ExampleThe researcher treated each empirical as a discrete data point, refusing to let existing theories bias the interpretation of the raw measurements.
UsageRarely used as a noun in general English; almost exclusively found in technical scientific literature.
- finding
- datum
From empiric + -al.
- Adjectiveempirical
- Adverbempirically