From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishpure science/maths etcpure science/maths etcHwork in science etc that increases our knowledge of the subject rather than using it for practical purposes → pure
Examples from the Corpus
pure science/maths etc• Critics have argued that an excessive commercial focus will lead researchers to ignore pure science.• She was also a physicist, one of the rare female students to study pure science.• This was to be a contribution to pure science, altogether elegant.• I breezed right through the first two years of pure science courses.• The ruthless convenience of the pure science of lust?• The question is, will Congress pay that much for pure science, with no clear technological benefit attached? 