science

[ sahy-uhns ]

noun

1. a branch of knowledge or study dealing with a body of facts or truths systematically arranged and showing the operation of general laws:

   the mathematical sciences.

2. systematic knowledge of the physical or material world gained through observation and experimentation.
3. any of the branches of natural or physical science.
4. systematized knowledge in general.
5. knowledge, as of facts or principles; knowledge gained by systematic study.
6. a particular branch of knowledge.
7. skill, especially reflecting a precise application of facts or principles; proficiency.

   Synonyms: discipline, method, technique, art

science

/ ˈsaɪəns /

noun

1. the systematic study of the nature and behaviour of the material and physical universe, based on observation, experiment, and measurement, and the formulation of laws to describe these facts in general terms
2. the knowledge so obtained or the practice of obtaining it
3. any particular branch of this knowledge

   the pure and applied sciences

4. any body of knowledge organized in a systematic manner
5. skill or technique
6. archaic.
   knowledge

science

/ sī′əns /

1. The investigation of natural phenomena through observation, theoretical explanation, and experimentation, or the knowledge produced by such investigation.
2. ◆ Science makes use of the scientific method , which includes the careful observation of natural phenomena, the formulation of a hypothesis, the conducting of one or more experiments to test the hypothesis, and the drawing of a conclusion that confirms or modifies the hypothesis.
3. See Note at hypothesis

Other Words From

• anti·science adjective noun
• inter·science adjective
• non·science noun
• pro·science adjective
• sub·science noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of science¹

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English, from Middle French, from Latin scientia “knowledge,” equivalent to scient- (stem of sciēns “knowing,” present participle of scīre “to know”) + -ia -ia

Word History and Origins

Origin of science¹

C14: via Old French from Latin scientia knowledge, from scīre to know

Example Sentences

He wants to ding his opponent as unstable or unpopular, so he seizes on Biden’s actual embrace of science to do so.

From Washington Post

There is an entire science behind conversion optimization, but the core fundamentals have remained the same for years.

From Search Engine Watch

It’s doing good science, but it doesn’t have any instruments that could really probe atmospheric chemistry and look for signs of organic life.

From MIT Technology Review

Americans should know that the vaccine development process is being driven completely by science and the data.

From Fortune

Cincinnati succeeds in part because it has matched minority-owned supply companies with its top science and research companies, from Johnson & Johnson and the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center to Proctor & Gamble.

From Ozy

As an example of good science-and-society policymaking, the history of fluoride may be more of a cautionary tale.

From The Daily Beast

Citizens, perhaps, need to feel like they can communicate something to science.

From The Daily Beast

“I heard Jeffrey was interested in supporting science and I contacted him,” Krauss said.

From The Daily Beast

“We talked about the science the whole time the other day,” Krauss told The Daily Beast in a phone interview.

From The Daily Beast

Great resources were devoted to the science of air crash investigation.

From The Daily Beast

As the weeks wore on, the pretence of practical teaching was quietly dropped, and we crammed our science out of the text-book.

From Project Gutenberg

I cannot see in science, nor in experience, nor in history any signs of such a God, nor of such intervention.

From Project Gutenberg

Science teaches that man existed during the glacial epoch, which was at least fifty thousand years before the Christian era.

From Project Gutenberg

Probably they do not devote quite as much time to it as our caballeros, who are quite adepts in the science.

From Project Gutenberg

But in reality this paradox of value is the most fundamental proposition in economic science.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• art
• discipline
• education
• information
• learning
• skill
• system
• technique

How Do You Spell Science?

Spelling tips for science

The word science is hard to spell for two reasons. It uses two letters to make an [ s ] sound, sc-. It is also an exception to the classic rule: I before E, except after C. In this case, the rule does not apply. 

How to spell science: First, remember that you learn science in school, another hard word to spell that also starts with sc. Second, remember that science doesn’t follow the classic “I before E except after C” rule because the i is pronounced separately from the e that follows it (resulting in a two-syllable word), instead of being pronounced together as a single vowel sound.