empirical

English

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *h₁én

Ancient Greek ἐν (en)

Ancient Greek ἐν- (en-)

Proto-Indo-European *per-

Proto-Indo-European *-is

Proto-Indo-European *-h₂

Proto-Indo-European *-ih₂

Proto-Indo-European *périh₂

Proto-Hellenic *péřřa

Ancient Greek πεῖρα (peîra)

Ancient Greek -ος (-os)

Ancient Greek ἔμπειρος (émpeiros)

Proto-Indo-European *-h₂

Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂

Proto-Indo-European *-i-eh₂

Proto-Hellenic *-íā

Ancient Greek -ῐ́ᾱ (-ĭ́ā)

Ancient Greek ἐμπειρία (empeiría)

Proto-Indo-European *-kos

Proto-Hellenic *-kos

Ancient Greek -κός (-kós)

Ancient Greek -ῐκός (-ĭkós)

Ancient Greek ἐμπειρῐκός (empeirĭkós)bor.

Latin empīricuslbor.

English empiric

Proto-Indo-European *h₂el-

Proto-Indo-European *-is

Proto-Indo-European *h₂élisder.?

Proto-Italic *-ālis

Latin -ālisbor.

Old French -albor.

▲

Latin -ālis

Old French -elbor.

▲

Latin -ālisbor.

Middle English -al

English -al

English empirical

From empiric + -al.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation, General American, Canada) IPA^(key): /ɪmˈpɪɹɪkəl/, /ɛmˈpɪɹɪkəl/

  • Audio (US):

    (file)

• Hyphenation: em‧pi‧ri‧cal

Adjective

empirical (comparative more empirical, superlative most empirical)

1. Pertaining to or based on experience, as opposed to theory.

   Antonym: theoretical

   The lengths were calculated according to the empirical rules of the trade.

   For some presumptive diagnoses, empirical antibiotic therapy begins immediately, whereas specific antibiotic therapy must await the results of the culture and sensitivity test.

   • 1861, Herbert Spencer, Education:

     The village carpenter […] lays out his work by empirical rules learnt in his apprenticeship.

2. Pertaining to, derived from, or testable by observations made using the physical senses or using instruments which extend the senses.
3. (philosophy of science) Verifiable by means of scientific experimentation.

   Antonyms: anecdotal, theoretical

   demonstrable with empirical evidence

Synonyms

• empiric

Antonyms

• nonempirical

Coordinate terms

• conceptual
• theoretical
• anecdotal

Derived terms

• antiempirical
• empirical data
• empirical ego
• empirical formula
• empiricalize
• empirically
• empiricalness
• empirical research
• empirical rule
• equiempirical
• hyperempirical
• nonempirical
• non-empirical ego
• psychoempirical
• semiempirical
• superempirical
• ultraempirical
• unempirical

Related terms

• empiricism
• empiricist

Translations

pertaining to or based on experience

• Arabic: تَجْرِيبِيّ (tajrībiyy)
• Belarusian: эмпіры́чны (empirýčny)
• Bulgarian: опитен (bg) (opiten), емпиричен (bg) (empiričen)
• Catalan: empíric
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 經驗 / 经验 (zh) (jīngyàn)

• Danish: empirisk
• Dutch: empirisch (nl)
• Finnish: kokemusperäinen (fi), empiirinen (fi)
• French: empirique (fr)
• Galician: empírico
• Georgian: ემპირიული (emṗiriuli)
• German: empirisch (de), erfahrungsgemäß (de)
• Greek: εμπειρικός (el) (empeirikós)
• Hindi: अनुभवजन्य (anubhavjanya), तजरबी (tajarbī), तजुर्बी (tajurbī), आनुभविक (ānubhvik)
• Hungarian: tapasztalati (hu)
• Indonesian: empiris (id)
• Italian: empirico (it)
• Malay: ايمڤيريکل (empirikal)
• Persian: تجربی (fa) (tajrobi), آروینی (ârvini)
• Polish: aposterioryczny (pl), empiryczny (pl)
• Portuguese: empírico (pt)
• Romanian: empiric (ro)
• Russian: эмпири́ческий (ru) (empiríčeskij)
• Serbo-Croatian: empìrījskī (sh), iskùstven (sh)
• Spanish: empírico (es)
• Swedish: empirisk (sv)
• Tagalog: masirin
• Ukrainian: емпіри́чний (empirýčnyj)
• Urdu: تجربی (tajrabi)
• Vietnamese: kinh nghiệm (vi)

pertaining to, derived from, or testable by observations

• Arabic: تَجْرِيبِيّ (tajrībiyy)
• Belarusian: эмпіры́чны (empirýčny)
• Bulgarian: емпиричен (bg) (empiričen)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: please add this translation if you can

• Dutch: empirisch (nl)
• Finnish: kokeellinen (fi), empiirinen (fi)
• Georgian: ემპირიული (emṗiriuli)
• German: empirisch (de)
• Greek: εμπειρικός (el) (empeirikós)
• Hindi: अनुभवजन्य (anubhavjanya), प्रायोगिक (prāyogik), तजरबी (tajarbī), तजुर्बी (tajurbī), आनुभविक (ānubhvik)
• Russian: эмпири́ческий (ru) (empiríčeskij)
• Serbo-Croatian: empìrījskī (sh), iskùstven (sh)
• Spanish: empírico (es)
• Swedish: empirisk (sv)
• Tagalog: masirin
• Ukrainian: емпіри́чний (empirýčnyj)

verifiable by means of scientific experimentation

• Bulgarian: емпиричен (bg) (empiričen)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 實證 / 实证 (zh) (shízhèng)

• Czech: empirický (cs)
• Dutch: empirisch (nl)
• Finnish: kokeellinen (fi), empiirinen (fi)
• German: empirisch (de)
• Hindi: अनुभवजन्य (anubhavjanya), प्रायोगिक (prāyogik), आनुभविक (ānubhvik)
• Korean: 실증적인 (siljeungjeogin)
• Russian: эмпири́ческий (ru) (empiríčeskij)
• Serbo-Croatian: empìrījskī (sh), iskùstven (sh)
• Spanish: empírico (es)
• Swedish: empirisk (sv)
• Tagalog: masirin
• Vietnamese: thực chứng (vi)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Indonesian: ^{(please verify)} secara empiris, ^{(please verify)} berdasarkan eksperimen / percobaan

Noun

empirical (plural empiricals)

1. A measurement or result achieved by empirical means.

See also

• empirical evidence
• anecdotal evidence
• trial and error
• empyrical

Further reading

• “empirical”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• William Dwight Whitney, Benjamin Eli Smith, editors (1895–1910), “empirical”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., →OCLC.
• “empirical”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.
• Raymond Williams (1983), “Empirical”, in Keywords: A Vocabulary of Culture and Society, revised American edition, New York, N.Y.: Oxford University Press, published 1985, →ISBN, page 115.