Scientific means based on careful testing and evidence rather than on guessing. Scientific evidence, a scientific approach, scientific method.
The scientific method is the whole system: hypothesis, prediction, experiment, and results that others can repeat. Scientific also means relating to science generally — a scientific journal, scientific research. Informally it means systematic: a scientific approach to packing a car. Note unscientific, which is a serious criticism of a method; and that scientific evidence carries authority precisely because of the checking behind it.
1adjectivescientificBased on careful testing and evidence.
“There is no scientific evidence for any of it.”
2adjectiverelatingRelating to science.
“The magazine publishes scientific articles for ordinary readers.”
Too few real examples of this word to estimate which sense is commonest.
scientific is a quality of evidence-based method.
Medieval Latin
scientificus — pertaining to science
Middle French
scientifique
English, today
scientific
Borrowed from Middle French scientifique, from Medieval Latin scientificus (“pertaining to science”).
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA