theoreticaladj.n.

Brit.

/θɪəˈrɛtᵻkl/,

/ˌθiːəˈrɛtᵻkl/, U.S.

/ˌθiəˈrɛdək(ə)l/,

/θɪˈrɛdək(ə)l/

Forms: late Middle English theorodycall (perhaps transmission error), 1500s–1600s theoreticall, 1500s– theoretical, 1600s theorettical, 1600s theoriticall.

Origin: A borrowing from Latin, combined with an English element. Etymons: Latin theoreticus , -al suffix¹.

Etymology: < post-classical Latin theoreticus theoretic adj. + -al suffix¹; compare -ical suffix. Compare theoric adj.¹, and (with the use as noun) earlier theoretic n.

A. adj.

a. Conceptual; relating to, based on, or consisting of theory, rather than observation of facts. Often opposed to practical.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > branch of knowledge > [adjective] > concerned with theory

theoreticala1500

theorical?a1560

formal1655

the mind > mental capacity > belief > speculation > confirmation of hypothesis, theory > [adjective]

theoreticala1500

theorica1500

theorical?a1560

inspective1609

theoretic1617

systematic1668

systematical1677

a1500 ( G. Ripley Compend of Alchemy (Ashm.) l. 278 (MED) All superflues & Reherssalles I schall laye asyde, Intendyng only to gyffe trewe informacion bothe of ye theorodycall [perh. corrected to theorothycall] & practycall operacion.

1581 R. Mulcaster Positions xli. 250 But Aristotle himselfe..placeth naturall Philosophie next vnto them [sc. Mathematics], as very intelligible vnto very young heades, by reason of their necessarie consequence, & Theoreticall consideration.

1645 L. Haward Mil. & Spirituall Motions 38 Religion is more practicall then theoriticall; rather an occupation then a meer profession.

a1652 J. Smith Select Disc. (1660) vi. iv. 192 They fall into great confusions in many Theoretical matters of no small moment.

1728 E. Chambers Cycl. at Theoretic The Sciences are ordinarily divided into Theoretical, as Theology, Philosophy, &c. and Practical, as Medicine, Law, &c.

1773 J. Hawkesworth Acct. Voy. Southern Hemisphere III. ii. x. 477 The theoretical arguments which have been brought to prove that the existence of a southern continent is necessary to preserve an equilibrium between the two hemispheres.

1819 J. A. Jones Nesse's Antidote against Arminianism (ed. 3) 99 The persons..had merely escaped..through a theoretical knowledge of the Lord.

1830 J. Mackintosh Diss. Progress Ethical Philos. 122 In the strictly theoretical part his exposition is considerably fuller.

1855 M. F. Maury Physical Geogr. Sea vi. 129 These observations agree with the theoretical deductions.

1900 Glasgow Herald 4 Jan. 9/6 He constructs a strong argument, if on purely theoretical grounds, for the existence of two distinct centres in the brain.

1954 Househ. Guide & Almanac (News of World) 254/1 Much theoretical work on the design and fabrication of both space-ships and artificial satellites has been done.

2013 A. Moore & I. Drecki Geospatial Visualisation 267 These practical applications are built on a robust theoretical underpinning.

b. Hypothetical; existing chiefly or only in theory rather than in fact.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > mental capacity > belief > speculation > confirmation of hypothesis, theory > [adjective] > as opposed to practical

contemplative1563

paper1616

theoretic1617

considerative1677

theoretical1767

academic1812

moot1831

armchair1858

rocking chair1911

unempirical1934

1767 B. Chandler Ess. Inoculation 20 The danger of accumulating infection may be merely theoretical, and if so, when once the infection has taken place, no more can be added.

1781 C. Macaulay Graham Hist. Eng. VI. Pref. p. vii All those advantages of our mixed form of government, which experience has found to be only theoretical.

1826 W. Henry Elem. Chem. II. 699 The theoretical numbers not agreeing with the experimental results, which are those of Dr. John Davy.

1883 J. Gilmour Among Mongols xvii. 204 Some other man..whose existence is evidently..theoretical.

1941 Astounding Sci.-Fiction May 95/1 The stunt was a theoretical one frequently debated by mathematicians and astro-navigators, and often used by writers in stories.

2003 S. Brett Murder in Museum x. 77 The new Director's power was only theoretical. Every decision she made was going to be scrutinized..by her predecessor.

a. Of the mind, mental faculties, etc.: given to or concerned with forming or developing theories; speculative. Sometimes contrasted with practical.

ΚΠ

1604 J. Downham Christian Warfare viii. 42 But besides this theoreticall wisedome seated in the vnderstanding, there is also a practicall or operatiue wisedome required in Gods word.

a1652 J. Smith Select Disc. (1660) iv. viii. 108 As for the Mind and Theoretical power.

1779 F. Sydenham tr. Plato Philebus 27 Neither Pleasure alone, nor Theoretical Wisdom or Knowledge alone, is sufficient for the Happiness of any Man.

1782 Town & Country Mag. Apr. 178/1 He had an opportunity of displaying his theoretical abilities, as he had before done his practical talents, as a skilful and judicious navigator.

1799 Brit. Mercury 30 Apr. 20 The errors to which a theoretical mind, when it entirely shakes off the reins of practical notions, may lead.

1849 Gaz. of Union 1 July 332/2 Most persons regard ‘speculation’ as a great folly, and men of speculative, theoretical minds, as very great fools.

1863 E. V. Neale Analogy Thought & Nature ix. 117 The intuitions of space and time, and the conceptions of relation drawn from the theoretical reason.

1917 Homiletic Rev. Dec. 449/1 Undertakings requiring practical rather than theoretical talents, have been carried through..largely by foreigners.

1954 Cuero (Texas) Record 23 July 6/1 If we are to develop atomic energy for peaceful pursuits, American free enterprise should be given the job—as free as possible from the soft hand and the theoretical mind of bureaucracy.

2008 A. Nuzzo Ideal Embodiment v. 141 Reason is an exclusively theoretical faculty that can by no means exercise causality over the will.

b. Of a person: given to or concerned with forming or developing theories; speculative; influenced by theory.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > mental capacity > belief > speculation > confirmation of hypothesis, theory > [adjective] > of person: concerned with theory

theoric?1600

theoretical1610

theoretic1641

viewed1641

theorical1650

contemplative1653

theorizing1772

1610 True Declar. Estate Colonie Virginia 15 It bee not for a theoreticall Schollar, to circumscribe the dominions of Princes.

1652 S. Ward Philos. Ess. iii. x. 139 There are of those disputing and theoreticall hereticks, as well as practicall, to conceal or dissemble the arguments.

1739 tr. A. Palomino de Castro y Velasco Acct. Spanish Painters 38 He was very diligent and observant in Designing, and above all very theoretical in the Fundamentals of his Art.

1798 Crit. Rev. June 144 The best practitioner in an art is not always the best theorist, and..the theoretical man is not always successful in reducing his rules to practice.

1841 T. Carlyle On Heroes vi. 372 What is to be done?..a question which theoretical constitution-builders may find easy to answer.

1859 C. Darwin Origin of Species i. 12 Doubts have been thrown on this principle only by theoretical writers alone.

1902 J. Denney Death of Christ (ed. 2) iii. 121 The simplest preacher and the most effective is always the most absolutely theoretical. It is a theory..that Christ's death is a death for sin. But unless a preacher can put some interpretation on the death..why should he speak of it at all?

1966 Progress-Index (Petersburg, Va.) 5 May 4/1 It would be interesting to see what would happen in Virginia's institutions of higher learning if top-flight, highly theoretical professors had a major hand in shaping policies.

2006 D. Wilkins Fainter 176 She was theoretical, almost Socratic. He saw at once that she'd be a killer student.

3. Characterized by the pursuit of insight into the nature of things.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > mental capacity > thought > continued thinking, reflection, contemplation > [adjective]

thoughtfulc1175

contemplative1340

considerativec1449

musing1449

studient1532

pondering1566

contemplatory1576

speculative1578

considerate1581

reflective1581

theorical1594

theoric?1600

theoretical1608

meditative1611

thoughtsome1627

reflexive1630

reflecting1632

revolutive1637

cogitativea1639

thoughtive1654

lucubratory1656

thinkful1668

theoretic1701

ruminatinga1704

reflectious1715

ruminative1774

thinking1799

meditative1831

ruminant1849

meditational1864

penseful1865

1608 T. Walkington Salomons Sweete Harpe 8 Thus spake he in his three-folde Philosophie..Morall, Naturall, Theoreticall: morall, in the Proverbs: naturall, here in Ecclesiastes: and contemplatiue in that heauenly song of songs.

1656 J. Ockford Tryal of Truth (title page) Certain Theoretical Queries, viz. belonging to Study or Contemplation for the true finding out, whether it be necessary to Salvation, that we..should walk in obedience to..the ten Commandements?

1789 D. Jaudon Short Syst. Polite Learning 5 Into how many parts is it [sc. philosophy] divided? A. Two; theoretical and practical: The theoretical is that which is employed in the bare contemplation of nature, and natural things; and is subdivided into physics and metaphysics.

1844 W. Smith Dict. Greek & Rom. Biogr. & Mythol. I. 341/1 The happiness of the theoretical life of reason, i. e. of the life devoted to philosophical contemplation, is brought prominently into view.

1921 A. E. Zimmern in R. W. Livingstone Legacy of Greece 346 Aristotle..does indeed allow, for certain favoured individuals, an inner or ‘theoretical’ life, as he calls it, remote from the concerns of the City-State.

2009 M. A. Ralkowski Heidegger's Platonism vi. 121 Aristotle catalogs his six reasons for selecting the theoretical life over the practical life.

4. Designating that part of a subject or discipline that is concerned with conceptual aspects and the development of theories relating to that subject or discipline, as theoretical chemistry, theoretical linguistics, theoretical physics, etc. Also: designating an expert in or practitioner of such an area of study, as theoretical astronomer, theoretical linguist, theoretical physicist, etc. Frequently opposed to practical, applied, experimental.

ΚΠ

1813 T. Thomson Trav. Sweden viii. 163 John Peter Fröberg, Teacher of Theoretical Physics.

1820 Philos. Mag. 55 202 Such communications and digests as seem calculated..either to supply deficiencies, or to afford useful materials to the theoretical astronomer.

1855 Freeman's Jrnl. (Dublin) 1 Dec. Such benefits could only be derived from the study of theoretical chemistry in the fullest sense.

1880 Amer. Jrnl. Philol. 1 329 The whole subject [sc. the classification of languages] is decidedly the least satisfactory and the least valuable part of theoretical linguistics.

1963 Biennial Rev. Anthropol. 3 i. 2 Where the anthropological linguist derives aid and inspiration from cultural anthropology, the theoretical linguist looks toward logic and mathematics.

1970 BioSci. 20 632/3 The retention of the original bilingual papers and discussions assure a wide audience which a field as new and wide in scope as theoretical biology deserves.

1992 Appl. Linguistics 13 291 The assumption in cognitive science and theoretical linguistics has traditionally been that the mind processes information in the same way as a serial digital computer.

2006 F. Wilczek Fantastic Realities 273 The ratio of these scales—the Planck mass and the grand unification scale—is another fundamental dimensionless number, whose calculation presents an inspiring challenge to theoretical physics.

5. Chiefly Science. As the second element in parasynthetic compounds: of or relating to the theory specified by the first element.field-theoretical, game-theoretical, number-theoretical, quantum-theoretical, set-theoretical, etc.: see the first element.

ΚΠ

1883 Amer. Jrnl. Math. 6 253 Weierstrass seeks the origin of the periodic functions in a fundamental function-theoretical problem.

1956 F. Bagemihl tr. K. Knopp Infinite Sequences & Series vi. 149 Only..the most important properties of these functions, in so far as they are of series-theoretical interest, will be listed.

1966 Economist 11 June 1206/1 Welfare-theoretical problems and planner's and consumer's sovereignty are the theme of Joan Robinson.

2006 Sci. Amer. (U.K. ed.) Apr. 81/2 Even if Witten's string-theoretical investigations never yield testable consequences, they have nonetheless greatly advanced the area of pure mathematics called knot theory.

B. n.

In plural. Frequently with the. That which is theoretical; the theoretical aspects of a topic, discipline, etc.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > mental capacity > belief > speculation > confirmation of hypothesis, theory > [noun]

theoretic1601

theory?1634

system1650

scheme1675

theoreticals1809

1809 Watchman Nov. 25 Practical religion is perfectly understood, but men still differ as to theoreticals and ceremonies.

1860 H. B. Wilson in Ess. & Rev. 181 It is a strange ignoring of the constitution of human minds, to expect all ministers, however much they may know, to be of one opinion in theoreticals.

1964 Jrnl. Sci. Study Relig. 4 80/1 The theoreticals and practical problems involved in attempting to assess the relationship between psychological adjustment and minority status.

1986 Syracuse (N.Y.) Herald-Jrnl. 9 Dec. a11/1 Most of the theoreticals have been answered by tried and proven people in the field.

2004 M. Obmascik Big Year ii. 44 The theoreticals and philosophicals of academic life drove him crazy.

Compounds

theoretical framework n. a basic conceptual structure underlying a system, study, etc.

ΚΠ

1874 Hub Oct. 206/2 (note) Part I. of the French Rule [of carriage-drafting], giving its theoretical framework, will conclude with the November number; after which will follow the practical application of its principles.

1957 S. H. Coontz Population Theories & Econ. Interpr. iv. 91 Prior to Keynes, Neo-Classical economists operated within a theoretical framework which..postulated a natural tendency toward full employment of all factors of production.

2014 Times Higher Educ. Suppl. (Nexis) 16 Jan. (Books section) 54 She..puts forward a theoretical framework for analysing these emerging ways of sustainable living.

theoretical model n. a description or representation used to understand the way in which a particular system or process works.

ΘΚΠ

society > communication > representation > [noun] > a representation > hypothetical

theoretical model1815

model1901

schema1939

mock-up1954

1815 D. Stewart tr. F. Bacon in Diss. First i. ii. 55 The great desideratum..is, by investigating the principles of natural justice, and those of political expediency, to exhibit a theoretical model of legislation.

1907 P. Janet Major Symptoms Hysteria x. 216 You must not fancy that all the disturbances of speech brought on by hysteria are always conformable to this theoretical model.

2009 N.Y. Times Mag. 6 Sept. 39/1 The theoretical model that finance economists developed by assuming that every investor rationally balances risk against reward..is wonderfully elegant.

This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2015; most recently modified version published online March 2022).

单词	theoretical
释义	theoreticaladj.n. Brit. /θɪəˈrɛtᵻkl/, /ˌθiːəˈrɛtᵻkl/, U.S. /ˌθiəˈrɛdək(ə)l/, /θɪˈrɛdək(ə)l/ Forms: late Middle English theorodycall (perhaps transmission error), 1500s–1600s theoreticall, 1500s– theoretical, 1600s theorettical, 1600s theoriticall. Origin: A borrowing from Latin, combined with an English element. Etymons: Latin theoreticus , -al suffix¹. Etymology: < post-classical Latin theoreticus theoretic adj. + -al suffix¹; compare -ical suffix. Compare theoric adj.¹, and (with the use as noun) earlier theoretic n. A. adj. 1. a. Conceptual; relating to, based on, or consisting of theory, rather than observation of facts. Often opposed to practical. ΘΚΠ the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > branch of knowledge > [adjective] > concerned with theory theoreticala1500 theorical?a1560 formal1655 the mind > mental capacity > belief > speculation > confirmation of hypothesis, theory > [adjective] theoreticala1500 theorica1500 theorical?a1560 inspective1609 theoretic1617 systematic1668 systematical1677 a1500 ( G. Ripley Compend of Alchemy (Ashm.) l. 278 (MED) All superflues & Reherssalles I schall laye asyde, Intendyng only to gyffe trewe informacion bothe of ye theorodycall [perh. corrected to theorothycall] & practycall operacion. 1581 R. Mulcaster Positions xli. 250 But Aristotle himselfe..placeth naturall Philosophie next vnto them [sc. Mathematics], as very intelligible vnto very young heades, by reason of their necessarie consequence, & Theoreticall consideration. 1645 L. Haward Mil. & Spirituall Motions 38 Religion is more practicall then theoriticall; rather an occupation then a meer profession. a1652 J. Smith Select Disc. (1660) vi. iv. 192 They fall into great confusions in many Theoretical matters of no small moment. 1728 E. Chambers Cycl. at Theoretic The Sciences are ordinarily divided into Theoretical, as Theology, Philosophy, &c. and Practical, as Medicine, Law, &c. 1773 J. Hawkesworth Acct. Voy. Southern Hemisphere III. ii. x. 477 The theoretical arguments which have been brought to prove that the existence of a southern continent is necessary to preserve an equilibrium between the two hemispheres. 1819 J. A. Jones Nesse's Antidote against Arminianism (ed. 3) 99 The persons..had merely escaped..through a theoretical knowledge of the Lord. 1830 J. Mackintosh Diss. Progress Ethical Philos. 122 In the strictly theoretical part his exposition is considerably fuller. 1855 M. F. Maury Physical Geogr. Sea vi. 129 These observations agree with the theoretical deductions. 1900 Glasgow Herald 4 Jan. 9/6 He constructs a strong argument, if on purely theoretical grounds, for the existence of two distinct centres in the brain. 1954 Househ. Guide & Almanac (News of World) 254/1 Much theoretical work on the design and fabrication of both space-ships and artificial satellites has been done. 2013 A. Moore & I. Drecki Geospatial Visualisation 267 These practical applications are built on a robust theoretical underpinning. b. Hypothetical; existing chiefly or only in theory rather than in fact. ΘΚΠ the mind > mental capacity > belief > speculation > confirmation of hypothesis, theory > [adjective] > as opposed to practical contemplative1563 paper1616 theoretic1617 considerative1677 theoretical1767 academic1812 moot1831 armchair1858 rocking chair1911 unempirical1934 1767 B. Chandler Ess. Inoculation 20 The danger of accumulating infection may be merely theoretical, and if so, when once the infection has taken place, no more can be added. 1781 C. Macaulay Graham Hist. Eng. VI. Pref. p. vii All those advantages of our mixed form of government, which experience has found to be only theoretical. 1826 W. Henry Elem. Chem. II. 699 The theoretical numbers not agreeing with the experimental results, which are those of Dr. John Davy. 1883 J. Gilmour Among Mongols xvii. 204 Some other man..whose existence is evidently..theoretical. 1941 Astounding Sci.-Fiction May 95/1 The stunt was a theoretical one frequently debated by mathematicians and astro-navigators, and often used by writers in stories. 2003 S. Brett Murder in Museum x. 77 The new Director's power was only theoretical. Every decision she made was going to be scrutinized..by her predecessor. 2. a. Of the mind, mental faculties, etc.: given to or concerned with forming or developing theories; speculative. Sometimes contrasted with practical. ΚΠ 1604 J. Downham Christian Warfare viii. 42 But besides this theoreticall wisedome seated in the vnderstanding, there is also a practicall or operatiue wisedome required in Gods word. a1652 J. Smith Select Disc. (1660) iv. viii. 108 As for the Mind and Theoretical power. 1779 F. Sydenham tr. Plato Philebus 27 Neither Pleasure alone, nor Theoretical Wisdom or Knowledge alone, is sufficient for the Happiness of any Man. 1782 Town & Country Mag. Apr. 178/1 He had an opportunity of displaying his theoretical abilities, as he had before done his practical talents, as a skilful and judicious navigator. 1799 Brit. Mercury 30 Apr. 20 The errors to which a theoretical mind, when it entirely shakes off the reins of practical notions, may lead. 1849 Gaz. of Union 1 July 332/2 Most persons regard ‘speculation’ as a great folly, and men of speculative, theoretical minds, as very great fools. 1863 E. V. Neale Analogy Thought & Nature ix. 117 The intuitions of space and time, and the conceptions of relation drawn from the theoretical reason. 1917 Homiletic Rev. Dec. 449/1 Undertakings requiring practical rather than theoretical talents, have been carried through..largely by foreigners. 1954 Cuero (Texas) Record 23 July 6/1 If we are to develop atomic energy for peaceful pursuits, American free enterprise should be given the job—as free as possible from the soft hand and the theoretical mind of bureaucracy. 2008 A. Nuzzo Ideal Embodiment v. 141 Reason is an exclusively theoretical faculty that can by no means exercise causality over the will. b. Of a person: given to or concerned with forming or developing theories; speculative; influenced by theory. ΘΚΠ the mind > mental capacity > belief > speculation > confirmation of hypothesis, theory > [adjective] > of person: concerned with theory theoric?1600 theoretical1610 theoretic1641 viewed1641 theorical1650 contemplative1653 theorizing1772 1610 True Declar. Estate Colonie Virginia 15 It bee not for a theoreticall Schollar, to circumscribe the dominions of Princes. 1652 S. Ward Philos. Ess. iii. x. 139 There are of those disputing and theoreticall hereticks, as well as practicall, to conceal or dissemble the arguments. 1739 tr. A. Palomino de Castro y Velasco Acct. Spanish Painters 38 He was very diligent and observant in Designing, and above all very theoretical in the Fundamentals of his Art. 1798 Crit. Rev. June 144 The best practitioner in an art is not always the best theorist, and..the theoretical man is not always successful in reducing his rules to practice. 1841 T. Carlyle On Heroes vi. 372 What is to be done?..a question which theoretical constitution-builders may find easy to answer. 1859 C. Darwin Origin of Species i. 12 Doubts have been thrown on this principle only by theoretical writers alone. 1902 J. Denney Death of Christ (ed. 2) iii. 121 The simplest preacher and the most effective is always the most absolutely theoretical. It is a theory..that Christ's death is a death for sin. But unless a preacher can put some interpretation on the death..why should he speak of it at all? 1966 Progress-Index (Petersburg, Va.) 5 May 4/1 It would be interesting to see what would happen in Virginia's institutions of higher learning if top-flight, highly theoretical professors had a major hand in shaping policies. 2006 D. Wilkins Fainter 176 She was theoretical, almost Socratic. He saw at once that she'd be a killer student. 3. Characterized by the pursuit of insight into the nature of things. ΘΚΠ the mind > mental capacity > thought > continued thinking, reflection, contemplation > [adjective] thoughtfulc1175 contemplative1340 considerativec1449 musing1449 studient1532 pondering1566 contemplatory1576 speculative1578 considerate1581 reflective1581 theorical1594 theoric?1600 theoretical1608 meditative1611 thoughtsome1627 reflexive1630 reflecting1632 revolutive1637 cogitativea1639 thoughtive1654 lucubratory1656 thinkful1668 theoretic1701 ruminatinga1704 reflectious1715 ruminative1774 thinking1799 meditative1831 ruminant1849 meditational1864 penseful1865 1608 T. Walkington Salomons Sweete Harpe 8 Thus spake he in his three-folde Philosophie..Morall, Naturall, Theoreticall: morall, in the Proverbs: naturall, here in Ecclesiastes: and contemplatiue in that heauenly song of songs. 1656 J. Ockford Tryal of Truth (title page) Certain Theoretical Queries, viz. belonging to Study or Contemplation for the true finding out, whether it be necessary to Salvation, that we..should walk in obedience to..the ten Commandements? 1789 D. Jaudon Short Syst. Polite Learning 5 Into how many parts is it [sc. philosophy] divided? A. Two; theoretical and practical: The theoretical is that which is employed in the bare contemplation of nature, and natural things; and is subdivided into physics and metaphysics. 1844 W. Smith Dict. Greek & Rom. Biogr. & Mythol. I. 341/1 The happiness of the theoretical life of reason, i. e. of the life devoted to philosophical contemplation, is brought prominently into view. 1921 A. E. Zimmern in R. W. Livingstone Legacy of Greece 346 Aristotle..does indeed allow, for certain favoured individuals, an inner or ‘theoretical’ life, as he calls it, remote from the concerns of the City-State. 2009 M. A. Ralkowski Heidegger's Platonism vi. 121 Aristotle catalogs his six reasons for selecting the theoretical life over the practical life. 4. Designating that part of a subject or discipline that is concerned with conceptual aspects and the development of theories relating to that subject or discipline, as theoretical chemistry, theoretical linguistics, theoretical physics, etc. Also: designating an expert in or practitioner of such an area of study, as theoretical astronomer, theoretical linguist, theoretical physicist, etc. Frequently opposed to practical, applied, experimental. ΚΠ 1813 T. Thomson Trav. Sweden viii. 163 John Peter Fröberg, Teacher of Theoretical Physics. 1820 Philos. Mag. 55 202 Such communications and digests as seem calculated..either to supply deficiencies, or to afford useful materials to the theoretical astronomer. 1855 Freeman's Jrnl. (Dublin) 1 Dec. Such benefits could only be derived from the study of theoretical chemistry in the fullest sense. 1880 Amer. Jrnl. Philol. 1 329 The whole subject [sc. the classification of languages] is decidedly the least satisfactory and the least valuable part of theoretical linguistics. 1963 Biennial Rev. Anthropol. 3 i. 2 Where the anthropological linguist derives aid and inspiration from cultural anthropology, the theoretical linguist looks toward logic and mathematics. 1970 BioSci. 20 632/3 The retention of the original bilingual papers and discussions assure a wide audience which a field as new and wide in scope as theoretical biology deserves. 1992 Appl. Linguistics 13 291 The assumption in cognitive science and theoretical linguistics has traditionally been that the mind processes information in the same way as a serial digital computer. 2006 F. Wilczek Fantastic Realities 273 The ratio of these scales—the Planck mass and the grand unification scale—is another fundamental dimensionless number, whose calculation presents an inspiring challenge to theoretical physics. 5. Chiefly Science. As the second element in parasynthetic compounds: of or relating to the theory specified by the first element.field-theoretical, game-theoretical, number-theoretical, quantum-theoretical, set-theoretical, etc.: see the first element. ΚΠ 1883 Amer. Jrnl. Math. 6 253 Weierstrass seeks the origin of the periodic functions in a fundamental function-theoretical problem. 1956 F. Bagemihl tr. K. Knopp Infinite Sequences & Series vi. 149 Only..the most important properties of these functions, in so far as they are of series-theoretical interest, will be listed. 1966 Economist 11 June 1206/1 Welfare-theoretical problems and planner's and consumer's sovereignty are the theme of Joan Robinson. 2006 Sci. Amer. (U.K. ed.) Apr. 81/2 Even if Witten's string-theoretical investigations never yield testable consequences, they have nonetheless greatly advanced the area of pure mathematics called knot theory. B. n. In plural. Frequently with the. That which is theoretical; the theoretical aspects of a topic, discipline, etc. ΘΚΠ the mind > mental capacity > belief > speculation > confirmation of hypothesis, theory > [noun] theoretic1601 theory?1634 system1650 scheme1675 theoreticals1809 1809 Watchman Nov. 25 Practical religion is perfectly understood, but men still differ as to theoreticals and ceremonies. 1860 H. B. Wilson in Ess. & Rev. 181 It is a strange ignoring of the constitution of human minds, to expect all ministers, however much they may know, to be of one opinion in theoreticals. 1964 Jrnl. Sci. Study Relig. 4 80/1 The theoreticals and practical problems involved in attempting to assess the relationship between psychological adjustment and minority status. 1986 Syracuse (N.Y.) Herald-Jrnl. 9 Dec. a11/1 Most of the theoreticals have been answered by tried and proven people in the field. 2004 M. Obmascik Big Year ii. 44 The theoreticals and philosophicals of academic life drove him crazy. Compounds theoretical framework n. a basic conceptual structure underlying a system, study, etc. ΚΠ 1874 Hub Oct. 206/2 (note) Part I. of the French Rule [of carriage-drafting], giving its theoretical framework, will conclude with the November number; after which will follow the practical application of its principles. 1957 S. H. Coontz Population Theories & Econ. Interpr. iv. 91 Prior to Keynes, Neo-Classical economists operated within a theoretical framework which..postulated a natural tendency toward full employment of all factors of production. 2014 Times Higher Educ. Suppl. (Nexis) 16 Jan. (Books section) 54 She..puts forward a theoretical framework for analysing these emerging ways of sustainable living. theoretical model n. a description or representation used to understand the way in which a particular system or process works. ΘΚΠ society > communication > representation > [noun] > a representation > hypothetical theoretical model1815 model1901 schema1939 mock-up1954 1815 D. Stewart tr. F. Bacon in Diss. First i. ii. 55 The great desideratum..is, by investigating the principles of natural justice, and those of political expediency, to exhibit a theoretical model of legislation. 1907 P. Janet Major Symptoms Hysteria x. 216 You must not fancy that all the disturbances of speech brought on by hysteria are always conformable to this theoretical model. 2009 N.Y. Times Mag. 6 Sept. 39/1 The theoretical model that finance economists developed by assuming that every investor rationally balances risk against reward..is wonderfully elegant. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2015; most recently modified version published online March 2022). < adj.n.a1500
随便看	overstamp overstand overstand one's market overstand one'the market overstanding overstands overstare overstaring overstart overstate overstated overstately overstatement overstatements overstates overstating overstay overstay one's welcome overstayal overstayed overstayer overstayers overstaying overstays overstead