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A word that ESLs can not find its exact meaning in any English dictionaries?

 
 
Reply Fri 3 May, 2013 04:52 pm

The word empirics seem to mean "empirical facts," which, however, cannot be found directly in any English dictionaries, for the word empiric is defined like this:
Definition of EMPIRIC
1: charlatan 2
2: one who relies on practical experience
adj.
1. relying on medical quackery
2. derived from experiment and observation rather than theory

Context:

Science can work only with naturalistic explanations; it can neither affirm nor deny other types of actors (like God) in other spheres (the moral realm, for example). Forget philosophy for a moment; the simple empirics of the past hundred years should suffice. Darwin himself was agnostic (aving lost his religious beliefs upon the tragic loss of his favorite daughter).
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Type: Question • Score: 3 • Views: 942 • Replies: 8

 
View best answer, chosen by oristarA
engineer
 
  2  
Reply Fri 3 May, 2013 05:35 pm
@oristarA,
This is the correct definition for empiric in the sentence:

Quote:
2. derived from experiment and observation rather than theory
PUNKEY
 
  1  
Reply Fri 3 May, 2013 05:40 pm
I found it in my dictionary.

You won't find EVERY word in the dictionary.

Besides, you figured it out, didn't you?
0 Replies
 
oristarA
 
  1  
Reply Fri 3 May, 2013 06:18 pm
@engineer,
engineer wrote:

This is the correct definition for empiric in the sentence:

Quote:
2. derived from experiment and observation rather than theory



No. Yours is an adjective, while in the context ("the simple empirics") the word empiric has been used as a noun.
engineer
  Selected Answer
 
  3  
Reply Fri 3 May, 2013 06:24 pm
@oristarA,
The author decided he could use an adjective as a noun. No big deal.
oristarA
 
  1  
Reply Fri 3 May, 2013 06:29 pm
@engineer,
engineer wrote:

The author decided he could use an adjective as a noun. No big deal.


Well, he's indeed somebody (the leader of the global genome project). I wonder, however, whether we nobody can use some obvious adjective as a noun in our writing.
roger
 
  1  
Reply Fri 3 May, 2013 07:04 pm
@oristarA,
I suggest we don't.
0 Replies
 
ossobuco
 
  1  
Reply Fri 3 May, 2013 07:09 pm
@oristarA,
Fine with me, it's how language moves.
0 Replies
 
PUNKEY
 
  1  
Reply Mon 6 May, 2013 05:12 pm
"I wonder, however, whether we nobody can use some obvious adjective as a noun in our writing. "

Someone can sit on a chair and chair a meeting or be a co-chair of a committee in a chaired meeting.
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