heuristic

from WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006)

heuristic
    adj 1: of or relating to or using a general formulation that
           serves to guide investigation [ant: {algorithmic}]
    n 1: a commonsense rule (or set of rules) intended to increase
         the probability of solving some problem [syn: {heuristic},
         {heuristic rule}, {heuristic program}]

from The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48

Heuristic \Heu*ris"tic\ (h[-u]*r[i^]s"t[i^]k), a. [Gr.
   e"yri`skein to discover.]
   1. Serving to promote discovery or learning; -- used
      especially of thories or paradigms which stimulate new
      ideas for discovering facts in experimental sciences.
      [1913 Webster +PJC]

   2. Serving to stimulate people to learn and discover on their
      own, especially by encouraging experimental and
      trial-and-error methods for solving problems.
      [PJC]

   3. Pertaining to or based on trial-and-error and experimental
      methods of learning and evaluation.
      [PJC]

   4. (Computers) Based on the use of an efficient trial-and
      error method to search a space of possible solutions to a
      problem, or to find an acceptable approximate solution,
      when an exact algorithmic method is unavailable or too
      time-consuming.
      [PJC]

from The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48

Heuristic \Heu*ris"tic\ (h[-u]*r[i^]s"t[i^]k), n.
   1. A heuristic method; a specific heuristic procedure.
      [PJC]

   2. A theory or approach which serves to promote discovery or
      learning by encouraging experimentation.
      [PJC]

from The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (8 July 2008)

heuristic
non-algorithmic procedure

   1. <programming> A rule of thumb, simplification, or educated
   guess that reduces or limits the search for solutions in
   domains that are difficult and poorly understood.  Unlike
   {algorithms}, heuristics do not guarantee optimal, or even
   {feasible}, solutions and are often used with no theoretical
   guarantee.

   2. <algorithm> {approximation algorithm}.

   (2001-04-12)

from Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0

34 Moby Thesaurus words for "heuristic":
      analytic, cut-and-try, empirical, examinational, examinatorial,
      examining, experimental, explorational, explorative, exploratory,
      fact-finding, feeling, groping, hit-or-miss, indagative,
      inspectional, inspectorial, investigational, investigative,
      investigatory, pilot, probationary, probative, probatory, proving,
      provisional, tentative, test, testing, trial, trial-and-error,
      trying, verificatory, zetetic