Science & Scientists Vocabulary

a proposed explanation based on limited evidence as a starting point for investigation

“The scientist formed a hypothesis about the cause of the disease.”

based on observation or experience rather than theory or logic

“The study relied on empirical data collected over five years.”

a typical example or pattern of something; a worldview underlying theories

“The discovery forced a paradigm shift in how we understand the universe.”

a statement accepted as true as the basis for argument or inference

“It is an axiom of geometry that parallel lines never meet.”

a thing suggested or assumed as true as the basis for reasoning

“Einstein's postulate that light speed is constant revolutionized physics.”

a general proposition proved by a chain of reasoning

“The Pythagorean theorem describes the relationship between sides of a right triangle.”

something that deviates from what is standard, normal, or expected

“The anomaly in the data suggested a flaw in the experimental design.”

a substance that increases the rate of a chemical reaction; an agent of change

“The protest served as a catalyst for political reform.”

a measure of disorder or randomness in a system; gradual decline into disorder

“Without maintenance, the garden fell into entropy.”

the combination of ideas to form a theory; the production of chemical compounds

“Her synthesis of different philosophical traditions was groundbreaking.”

the gradual absorption of ideas or knowledge; movement of molecules through a membrane

“He seemed to learn languages by osmosis, simply from being around speakers.”

a mutually beneficial relationship between different organisms or groups

“The business partnership developed into a true symbiosis.”

a complete change in form or character

“The company underwent a metamorphosis from startup to industry leader.”

the classification of things according to their characteristics

“The biologist developed a new taxonomy for classifying the species.”

the system of names or terms used in a particular field

“Medical nomenclature can be confusing for patients.”

a category in biological classification ranking above species

“Humans belong to the genus Homo.”

native and restricted to a certain place; regularly found among particular people

“The disease was endemic to the tropical region.”

a disease prevalent over a whole country or the world

“The pandemic spread across continents within months.”

the cause or origin of a disease or condition

“The etiology of the illness remained a mystery to researchers.”

the likely course or outcome of a disease or situation

“The doctor gave a positive prognosis for full recovery.”

a collection of beliefs or practices mistakenly regarded as being based on scientific method

“Astrology is often considered a pseudoscience.”

relating to, measuring, or measured by the quantity of something

“The research focused on quantitative analysis of the data.”