science

noun

sci·ence | \ ˈsī-ən(t)s

Essential Meaning of science

1 : knowledge about or study of the natural world based on facts learned through experiments and observation modern science the laws of science See More ExamplesThe program encourages students to pursue a career in science. a list of terms commonly used in science a new branch/field of science advances in science and technologyHide

2 : a particular area of scientific study (such as biology, physics, or chemistry) : a particular branch of science Students are required to take two sciences. students majoring in a science

3 : a subject that is formally studied in a college, university, etc. the science of linguistics

Full Definition of science

1 : the state of knowing : knowledge as distinguished from ignorance or misunderstanding

2a : a department of systematized knowledge as an object of study the science of theology

b : something (such as a sport or technique) that may be studied or learned like systematized knowledge have it down to a science

3a : knowledge or a system of knowledge covering general truths or the operation of general laws especially as obtained and tested through scientific method

b : such knowledge or such a system of knowledge concerned with the physical world and its phenomena : natural science

4 : a system or method reconciling practical ends with scientific laws cooking is both a science and an art

5 capitalized : christian science

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Synonyms for science

Synonyms

Examples of science in a Sentence

The Malay tapir, the largest of the world's four tapir species, remained largely invisible to science until recently. The other three species of these odd, endearing animals all live in South America. — Anthony King, New York Times, 2 June 2009 If there were any doubt, Golden's muckraking investigation—he is the Ida Tarbell of college admissions—reveals that almost every word uttered by representatives of the top colleges about the care and nuance and science of the much vaunted admissions process is bunk. — Michael Wolff, New York Times Book Review, 17 Sept. 2006 Of course, there is both corporate and government-sponsored grant money available for such initiatives in science and engineering. And scientists are used to working together in laboratories. But in the humanities it was different, said the deans. — David Laurence, Association of Departments of English Bulletin, Winter 2004 The journal Annales was started in 1929, by Bloch and Lucien Febvre, two friends conversant with the new sciences of sociology and geography, psychology and anthropology. — Stephen Kotkin, New Yorker, 29 Sept. 2003 The program encourages students to pursue a career in science. a list of terms commonly used in science a new branch of science advances in science and technology Students are required to take two sciences. students majoring in a science

Recent Examples on the Web SWENext Club invites students in grades K-12 in San Diego County to celebrate the art in science, technology, engineering, art and math (STEAM). — Laura Groch, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Jan. 2022 Meyer, the public health professor, said the attacks on Zink align with one of the key strategies of the anti-vaccine movement, which is to undermine science, scientific evidence and scientific institutions. — Nathaniel Herz, Anchorage Daily News, 21 Jan. 2022 After Joe Biden became president, companies and universities have found a new reality—the U.S. government expanding students eligible for OPT in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields. — Stuart Anderson, Forbes, 21 Jan. 2022 More than 500 makers usually take part and thousands of parents brought their children to the event to expose them to S.T.E.M., or the science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields. — Brendel Hightower, Detroit Free Press, 21 Jan. 2022 The Biden administration on Friday announced policy changes to attract international students specializing in science, technology, engineering and math — part of the broader effort to make the U.S. economy more competitive. — Josh Boak, ajc, 21 Jan. 2022 The Belgian-British teenager wants to share with young women and girls worldwide the spirit of aviation — and an enthusiasm for science, technology, engineering and math. — Washington Post, 18 Jan. 2022 The first stratagem of the racist is not to quote Adolph Hitler, or George Wallace, or bad science, or heretical religion. — John Archibald | Jarchibald@al.com, al, 16 Jan. 2022 The vast 120-acres of gardens, barns, trails and play forest are used as the primary classroom space for learning STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics) activities. — courant.com, 13 Jan. 2022

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'science.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

History and Etymology for science

Middle English, "knowledge, the ability to know, learning, branch of knowledge," borrowed from Anglo-French science, cience, borrowed from Latin scientia "knowledge, awareness, understanding, branch of knowledge, learning," noun derivative from scient-, sciens, present participle of sciō, scīre "to know," perhaps going back to Indo-European *skh₂-i(e/o)-, present tense formation from a verbal base *skeh₂-, *skh₂- "cut open, flay" (if sense development was "cut, incise, mark" > "distinguish" > "know"), whence also Sanskrit -chyati "(s/he) flays, pulls off (skin)" (verbal adjective chātaḥ, chitáḥ) and perhaps Greek scházō, scházein, also scháō, schân "to make an incision, open (a vein), let flow"

Note: Regarding earlier use of the words science and scientist see the reference to the article by Sydney Ross in the note at scientist. — Lexikon der indogermanischen Verben (2. Auflage, 2001) regards Latin sciō as a back-formation from nesciō, nescīre "to not know, be unfamiliar with," going back to *ne-skH-ii̯e-, a negative compound from the base of secō, secāre "to cut, sever, make an incision" (see saw entry 2), going back to *sekai̯e-, going back to *sekH-i̯e-. M. de Vaan (Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the Other Italic Languages, Brill, 2008), on the other hand, hypothesizes that sciō is formed with an athematic suffix from *skh₂-, so that as a present formation it is directly comparable with Sanskrit -chyati. The semantic progression producing a verb meaning "know" is in any case questionable, if, as the Indo-Iranian and Greek evidence suggests, the base *skeh₂-, *skh₂- means primarily "cut open, flay" (rather than "split, separate"). Ernout and Meillet (Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue latine) note that while this is the only plausible comparison for sciō, it is not at all certain ("Le rapprochement avec le groupe de 'couper' est en l'air, tout en étant, semble-t-il, le seul possible.")

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From the Editors at Merriam-Webster

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Last Updated

25 Jan 2022

Cite this Entry

“Science.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/science. Accessed 27 Jan. 2022.

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More Definitions for science

science

noun

sci·ence | \ ˈsī-əns

Kids Definition of science

1 : knowledge about the natural world that is based on facts learned through experiments and observation

2 : an area of study that deals with the natural world (as biology or physics)

3 : a subject that is formally studied the science of linguistics

4 : something that can be studied and learned Pitching is a science.

science

noun

sci·ence | \ ˈsī-ən(t)s

Medical Definition of science

: knowledge or a system of knowledge covering general truths or the operation of general laws especially as obtained and tested through the scientific method and concerned with the physical world and its phenomena