Why this word is great
THEORIC — [Noun/Adjective] The noun denoting abstract theory or speculation, as distinct from practice; the adjective pertaining to such theory, or, historically, to the Greek Theorica (a public fund for festivals). From Middle English theorike, from Old French theorique, from Medieval Latin *theōrica, from Ancient Greek θεωρική (theōrikḗ, “theory, speculation”). Unlike “practical,” which is worn smooth by use, or “empirical,” which builds its edifice upon sensory evidence, the theoric inhabits the pristine, untested realm of pure reasoning. It is the architect’s unsullied drawing, the utopian constitution drafted in a lonely study, the austere festival budget promising a public joy perpetually in rehearsal—the beautiful and brittle architecture of the mind, forever one step removed from the bruising kiss of the real.