Prac"ti*cal (?), a. [L. practicus
active, Gr. ? fit for doing or performing, practical, active, fr.
? to do, work, effect: cf. F. pratique, formerly also
practique. Cf. Pragmatic, Practice.]
1. Of or pertaining to practice or
action.
2. Capable of being turned to use or account;
useful, in distinction from ideal or theoretical; as,
practical chemistry. "Man's practical
understanding." South. "For all practical purposes."
Macaulay.
3. Evincing practice or skill; capable of
applying knowledge to some useful end; as, a practical man; a
practical mind.
4. Derived from practice; as, practical
skill.
Practical joke, a joke put in practice; a
joke the fun of which consists in something done, in distinction from
something said; esp., a trick played upon a person.