GNU Collaborative International Dictionary of English

last match results

Found 2 definitions

1.       
   Heuristic (hū́‑rĭsˈtĭk), a. [Gr. εὑρίσκειν to discover.]
   1. Serving to promote discovery or learning; -- used especially of thories or paradigms which stimulate new ideas for discovering facts in experimental sciences.
   
   [1913 Webster +PJC]
   
   
   2. Serving to stimulate people to learn and discover on their own, especially by encouraging experimental and trial-and-error methods for solving problems.
   
   [PJC]
   
   
   3. Pertaining to or based on trial-and-error and experimental methods of learning and evaluation.
   
   [PJC]
   
   
   4. (Computers) Based on the use of an efficient trial-and error method to search a space of possible solutions to a problem, or to find an acceptable approximate solution, when an exact algorithmic method is unavailable or too time-consuming.
   
   [PJC]
   
   
         
       

2.       
   Heuristic (hū́‑rĭsˈtĭk), n.
   1. A heuristic method; a specific heuristic procedure.
   
   [PJC]
   
   
   2. A theory or approach which serves to promote discovery or learning by encouraging experimentation.
   
   [PJC]