I. hyu̇-ˈris-tik adjective
Etymology: German heuristisch, from New Latin heuristicus, from Greek heuriskein to discover; akin to Old Irish fo- fúair he found
Date: 1821
: involving or serving as an aid to learning, discovery, or problem-solving by experimental and especially trial-and-error methods
heuristic techniques
a heuristic assumption
also : of or relating to exploratory problem-solving techniques that utilize self-educating techniques (as the evaluation of feedback) to improve performance
a heuristic computer program
• heu·ris·ti·cal·ly -ti-k(ə-)lē adverb
II. noun
Date: 1860
1. : the study or practice of heuristic procedure
2. : heuristic argument
3. : a heuristic method or procedure