1. a branch of knowledge or study dealing with a body of facts or truths systematically arranged and showing the operation of general laws:the mathematical sciences.
2. systematic knowledge of the physical or material world gained through observation and experimentation.
3. systematized knowledge in general.
4. knowledge, as of facts or principles; knowledge gained by systematic study.
5. a particular branch of knowledge.
6. skill, especially reflecting a precise application of facts or principles; proficiency.
