a posteriori - Definitions from Dictionary.com

4 results for: a posteriori

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This

a pos·te·ri·o·ri

Audio Help [ey po-steer-ee-awr-ahy, -ohr-ahy, -awr-ee, -ohr-ee] Pronunciation Key

–adjective

1.	from particular instances to a general principle or law; based upon actual observation or upon experimental data: an a posteriori argument that derives the theory from the evidence. Compare a priori (def. 1).

2.	not existing in the mind prior to or independent of experience. Compare a priori (def. 2).

[Origin: 1615–25; < L: lit., from the one behind. See a-⁴, posterior

]

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
a posteriori

To learn more about a posteriori visit Britannica.com

American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

a pos·te·ri·o·ri Audio Help (ä' pŏ-stîr'ē-ôr'ē, -ôr'ī, -ōr'ē, -ōr'ī, ā') Pronunciation Key
adj.

Derived by or designating the process of reasoning from facts or particulars to general principles or from effects to causes; inductive; empirical.
1. Justified by appeal to experience.
2. Knowable from experience.

[Medieval Latin : Latin a, from + Latin posteriorī, ablative of posterior, later.]

a' pos·te'ri·o'ri adv.

(Download Now or Buy the Book)

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This

a posteriori
adjective
1.	involving reasoning from facts or particulars to general principles or from effects to causes; "a posteriori demonstration" [ant: a priori]
2.	requiring evidence for validation or support
adverb
1.	derived from observed facts [ant: a priori]

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

A posteriori

A` pos*te`ri*o"ri\ [L. a (ab) + posterior latter.]

1. (Logic) Characterizing that kind of reasoning which derives propositions from the observation of facts, or by generalizations from facts arrives at principles and definitions, or infers causes from effects. This is the reverse of a priori reasoning.

2. (Philos.) Applied to knowledge which is based upon or derived from facts through induction or experiment; inductive or empirical.

Browse Nearby Entries: