(law) an explanation of the fundamental reasons (especially an explanation of the working of some device in terms of laws of nature); "the rationale for capital punishment"; "the principles of internal-combustion engines"
something regarded as a normative example; "the convention of not naming the main character"; "violence is the rule not the exception"; "his formula for impressing visitors"
being of crucial importance; "a pivotal event"; "Its pivotal location has also exposed it to periodic invasions"- Henry Kissinger; "the polar events of this study"; "a polar principal"
(of production of chemicals) made for commercial purposes especially on a large scale; "technical (or commercial) sulfuric acid"
resulting from or dependent on market factors rather than fundamental economic considerations; "analysts content that the stock market is due for a technical rally"; "the fall is only a technical correction"
characterizing or showing skill in or specialized knowledge of applied arts and sciences; "a technical problem"; "highly technical matters hardly suitable for the general public"; "a technical report"; "producing the A-bomb was a challenge to the technical people of this country"; "technical training"; "technical language"
of or relating to technique; "technical innovation in recent novels"; "technical details"
of or relating to proficiency in a practical skill; "no amount of technical skill and craftsmanship can take the place of vital interest"- John Dewey
of or relating to a practical subject that is organized according to scientific principles; "technical college"; "technological development"
having existence or being or actuality; "an attempt to refine the existent machinery to make it more efficient"; "much of the beluga caviar existing in the world is found in the Soviet Union and Iran"
a fertilizer that is derived from animal or vegetable matter
involving or affecting physiology or bodily organs; "an organic disease"
simple and healthful and close to nature; "an organic lifestyle"
relating or belonging to the class of chemical compounds having a carbon basis; "hydrocarbons are organic compounds"
being or relating to or derived from or having properties characteristic of living organisms; "organic life"; "organic growth"; "organic remains found in rock"
of or relating to foodstuff grown or raised without synthetic fertilizers or pesticides or hormones; "organic eggs"; "organic vegetables"; "organic chicken"
of or relating to or derived from living organisms; "organic soil"
a tentative theory about the natural world; a concept that is not yet verified but that if true would explain certain facts or phenomena; "a scientific hypothesis that survives experimental testing becomes a scientific theory"; "he proposed a fresh theory of alkalis that later was accepted in chemical practices"
a proposal intended to explain certain facts or observations
the branch of quantum physics that accounts for matter at the atomic level; an extension of statistical mechanics based on quantum theory (especially the Pauli exclusion principle)