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

The growth of tech indicated to Obama’s education advisors that success would depend on a university education, preferably in science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM, fields.

From Los Angeles Times

After receiving public backlash for praising him, Polis qualified his endorsement, writing on social media that "science must remain THE cornerstone of our nation’s health policy".

From BBC

The partisanization of public health, and of public health science, is just very bad for our country.

From Salon

California students’ test scores rose across math, English and science with big gains for low-income students.

From Los Angeles Times

Fields ranging from robotics to medicine to political science are attempting to train AI systems to make meaningful decisions of all kinds.

From Science Daily

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.