Noun

science (plural sciences)

1. A particular discipline or branch of learning, especially one dealing with measurable or systematic principles rather than intuition or natural ability. [from 14th c.]

   Of course in my opinion Social Studies is more of a science than an art.

2. (archaic) Knowledge gained through study or practice; mastery of a particular discipline or area. [from 14th c.]
   • 1590, Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene, III.i:

     For by his mightie Science he had seene / The secret vertue of that weapon keene [...].

3. (now only theology) The fact of knowing something; knowledge or understanding of a truth. [from 14th c.]
   • 1611, King James Version of the Bible, I Timothy 6:20-21

     O Timothy, keep that which is committed to thy trust, avoiding vain and profane babblings, and oppositions of science falsely so called: Which some professing have erred concerning the faith. Grace be with thee. Amen.

4. The collective discipline of study or learning acquired through the scientific method; the sum of knowledge gained from such methods and discipline. [from 18th c.]
   • 1951 January 1, Albert Einstein, letter to Maurice Solovine, as published in Letters to Solovine (1993)

     I have found no better expression than "religious" for confidence in the rational nature of reality [...] Whenever this feeling is absent, science degenerates into uninspired empiricism.

Derived terms

• applied science
• behavioral science
• computer science
• dismal science
• down to a science
• earth science
• exact science
• fundamental science

• hard science
• information science
• library science
• life science
• marine science
• Natural science
• pseudoscience
• pure science

• science fiction
• scientific
• scientifically
• scientist
• social science
• soft science
• superscience

Science (from Latin: scientia, meaning "knowledge") is a systematic enterprise of gathering knowledge about nature and organizing and condensing that knowledge into testable laws and theories. As knowledge has increased, some methods have proved more reliable than others, and today the scientific method is the standard for science. It includes the use of careful observation, experimentation, measurement, mathematics, and replication — to be considered a science, a body of knowledge must stand up to repeated testing by independent observers. The use of the scientific method to make new discoveries is called scientific research, and the people who carry out this research are called scientists. This article focuses on science in the more restricted sense, what is sometimes called experimental science. Applied science, or engineering, is the practical application of scientific knowledge.

A scientific hypothesis is an educated guess about the nature of the universe, a scientific theory is a hypothesis which has been confirmed by repeated observation and measurement. Scientific theories are usually given mathematical form, and are always subject to refutation if future experiments contradict them.

In the modern world, scientific research is a major activity in all developed nations, and scientists are expected to publish their discoveries in refereed journals, scientific periodicals where referees check the facts in an article before it is published. Even after publication, new scientific ideas are not generally accepted until the work has been replicated.

Scientific literacy is the ability of the general population to understand the basic concepts related to science.