HEURISTIC

heuristic

(adjective) of or relating to or using a general formulation that serves to guide investigation

heuristic, heuristic rule, heuristic program

(noun) a commonsense rule (or set of rules) intended to increase the probability of solving some problem

Source: WordNet® 3.1

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Etymology

Adjective

heuristic (comparative more heuristic, superlative most heuristic)

(of an approach to problem solving, learning, or discovery) That employs a practical method not guaranteed to be optimal or perfect; not following or derived from any theory. [from 1821]

(computing, of a method or algorithm) That solves a problem more quickly but is not certain to arrive at an optimal solution.

(of an argument) That reasons from the value of a method or principle that has been shown by experimental investigation to be a useful aid in learning, discovery and problem-solving.

Noun

heuristic (plural heuristics)

A heuristic method. [from 1860]

The art of applying heuristic methods.

(computing) A technique designed for solving a problem when classic methods are too slow or fail to find any exact solution.

Source: Wiktionary

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Heu*ris"tic, a. Etym: [Gr.

Definition: Serving to discover or find out.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition

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