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empiricism - 5 dictionary results

em⋅pir⋅i⋅cism

  [em-pir-uh-siz-uhm]
Use empiricism in a Sentence
–noun
1. empirical method or practice.
2. Philosophy. the doctrine that all knowledge is derived from sense experience. Compare rationalism (def. 2).
3. undue reliance upon experience, as in medicine; quackery.
4. an empirical conclusion.
Origin:
1650–60; empiric + -ism

Related forms:
em⋅pir⋅i⋅cist, noun, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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em·pir·i·cism   (ěm-pîr'ĭ-sĭz'əm)   
n.  
  1. The view that experience, especially of the senses, is the only source of knowledge.
    1. Employment of empirical methods, as in science.
    2. An empirical conclusion.
  3. The practice of medicine that disregards scientific theory and relies solely on practical experience.
em·pir'i·cist n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Empiricism

Em*pir"i*cism\, n. 1. The method or practice of an empiric; pursuit of knowledge by observation and experiment.

2. Specifically, a practice of medicine founded on mere experience, without the aid of science or a knowledge of principles; ignorant and unscientific practice; charlatanry; quackery.

3. (Metaph.) The philosophical theory which attributes the origin of all our knowledge to experience.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Main Entry: em·pir·i·cism
Pronunciation: im-'pir-&-"siz-&m, em-
Function: noun
1 a : a former school of medical practicebased on the teachings of the empirics b : QUACKERY
2 : the practice of relying onobservation and experiment especially in the natural sciences
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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empiricism em·pir·i·cism (ěm-pēr'ĭ-sĭz'əm)
n.

  1. Employment of empirical methods, as in science.
  2. The practice of medicine that disregards scientific theory and relies solely on practical experience.
em·pir'i·cist n.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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