metaheuristic
<algorithm, complexity, computability> A top-level general
strategy which guides other {heuristics} to search for
feasible solutions in domains where the task is hard.
Metaheuristics have been most generally applied to problems
classified as {NP-Hard} or {NP-Complete} by the theory of
{computational complexity}. However, metaheuristics would
also be applied to other {combinatorial} {optimisation}
problems for which it is known that a {polynomial-time}
solution exists but is not practical.
Examples of metaheuristics are {Tabu Search}, {simulated
annealing}, {genetic algorithms} and {memetic algorithms}.
(1997-10-30)