Main Entry: em·pir·i·cal

Pronunciation: \-i-kəl\

Variant(s): also em·pir·ic \-ik\

Function: adjective

1 archaic a : following or used in the practice of the empirics—compare rational 2 b : being or befitting a quack or charlatan
2 : originating in or based on observation or experiment <much medical lore had had an empirical origin…centuries of trial-and-error gropings after remedies—R. H. Shryock>
3 : capable of being confirmed, verified, or disproved by observation or experiment <empirical statements or laws>

—em·pir·i·cal·ly \-i-k(ə-)lē\ adverb