Dictionary

protoscience en · NOUN

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *per-der.? Proto-Indo-European *per-der.? Proto-Indo-European *pér Proto-Indo-European *-o Proto-Indo-European *próder. Ancient Greek πρό (pró) Ancient Greek -ᾰτος (-ătos) Ancient Greek πρῶτος (prôtos) Ancient Greek πρωτο- (prōto-)lbor. English proto- Proto-Indo-European *sek-? Proto-Indo-European *-éyti Proto-Indo-European *skey-der. Latin sciō Latin sciēns Proto-Indo-European *-(i)yós Proto-Italic *-ijos Proto-Italic *-ios Old Latin -ios Latin -ius Latin -ia Latin scientialbor. Old French sciencebor. Middle English science English science English protoscience From proto- + science.

Meanings

1. (countable, uncountable) An unscientific or pseudoscientific field of study which later becomes or spawns a science (e.g., astrology led to astronomy, alchemy led to chemistry, and, most generally, natural philosophy led to science).
2. (countable, uncountable) A field of study at the initial phase of the scientific method, involving information gathering and hypothesis formulation, but is not yet falsifiable, or if it is, its predictions have not yet been observed.
   • However, observation alone is not "modern" science; simple observation leads to "proto-science." Proto-science accepts observations without question or verification. 2008, Donald M. Hassler, Clyde Wilcox, New Boundaries in Political Science Fiction - Page 8:

Forms

Relateds

protoscientist · prescience · prescient · prescientific · protoscientific

Synonyms

ur-science