a posteriori: Meaning and Definition of

a pos•te•ri•o•ri

Pronunciation: (ā" po-stēr"ē-ôr'ī, -ōr'ī, -ôr'ē, -ōr'ē), [key]
  1. from particular instances to a general principle or law; based upon actual observation or upon experimental data:Cf. a priori (def. 1). an a posteriori argument that derives the theory from the evidence.
  2. not existing in the mind prior to or independent of experience. Cf. a priori (def. 2).
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.