1. SYN: empirical. 2. A member of a school of Graeco-Roman physicians, late BC to early AD, who placed their confidence in and based their practice purely on experience, avoiding all speculation, theory, or abstract reasoning; they were little concerned with causes or with correlating symptoms in order to gain a true understanding of a disease, even holding basic knowledge, physiology, pathology, and anatomy in low esteem and of no value in practice. 3. Modern: testing a hypothesis by careful observation, hence rationally based on experience. [see empirical]
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em·pir·ic im-'pir-ik, em- n
1 a) a member of an ancient sect of physicians who based their practice on experience alone disregarding all theoretical and philosophic considerations
b) QUACK
2) EMPIRICIST
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em·pir·ic (em-pirґik) 1. empirical. 2. a practitioner whose skill is based on experience.Medical dictionary. 2011.