empirical

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for February 26, 2012 is: empirical • \im-PEER-uh-kul\  • adjective 1 : originating in or based on observation or experience 2 : relying on experience or observation alone often without due regard for system and theory 3 : capable of being verified or disproved by observation or experiment 4 : of or relating to empiricism Examples: The students have collected plenty of empirical data from their experiments. "Those empirical studies have found that teens are up to three times more likely than adults to falsely confess under police interrogation to crimes they never committed." -- From an editorial by Laura H. Nirider in the Chicago Tribune, December 23, 2011 Did you know? When "empirical" first appeared as an adjective in English, it meant simply "in the manner of an empiric." An empiric was a member of an ancient sect of doctors who practiced medicine based exclusively on experience, as contrasted with those who relied on theory or philosophy. The name "empiric" derives from Latin "empiricus," itself from Greek "empeirikos" ("experienced"). It ultimately traces back to the verb "peiran," meaning "to try, attempt, or experiment." See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.