empirischen

Empirisch is a German adjective meaning based on observation or experience rather than theory. The form empirischen is the attributive inflected ending used with nouns in various cases and genders, for example: die empirischen Daten (the empirical data), den empirischen Nachweisen (the empirical proofs), der empirischen Grundlage (the empirical basis). The ending also occurs in other contexts such as plural and feminine or genitive forms, depending on the determiner in the sentence.

Etymology and usage: The word derives from the concept of empiricism, tracing back to Greek empeiria meaning experience, via Latin and other languages into modern German. Since the early modern period it has been used across disciplines to distinguish knowledge or methods grounded in experience and observation from purely theoretical or a priori approaches. In scientific and scholarly writing, empirisch signals that findings are supported by data, measurements, or systematic observation rather than solely by argument.

Contexts and examples: In natural and social sciences, empirical methods emphasize observation, experimentation, and data collection. Common phrases include empirische Forschung (empirical research), empirische Daten (empirical data), empirical evidence (empirischer Beleg or empirische Belege), and empirische Wissenschaften (empirical sciences). In everyday language, statements described as empirisch are those that rely on observed cases, experiments, or statistical results rather than on conjecture.

See also: Empirismus (empiricism), empirische Wissenschaften, empirische Forschung, experimentelle Methode.