Drag to pan · scroll to zoom
Drag to rotate
Tracing “”…
Where does the word "heuristic" come from? It comes from Greek heuriskein, and was adopted directly into English (1821).
Read the full story
Where does the word "heuristic" come from? It comes from Greek heuriskein, and was adopted directly into English (1821).
Heuristic’s story begins in Greek: heuriskein meant “to find, to discover.” The root of 'eureka'. It reached English by 1821 as heuristic. Coined for methods of learning and discovery through practical experience. Today, heuristic means a practical approach to problem-solving that is not guaranteed optimal but is sufficient.
- Stage 1 · Greek · ancient heuriskein "to find, to discover", the root of 'eureka'.
- Stage 2 · English · 1821 heuristic "a practical method for problem-solving or learning", coined for methods of learning and discovery through practical experience.