Laypeople use more scientific-sounding words, sure, but what more scientific way is there to understand something than to have discovered it yourself through experiment?
Franklin did not understand electricity, but merely observed it.
It wasn't until we discovered the electron proper and Maxwell did his work that we-- anyone-- understood electricity.
Understanding comes from scientific and academic rigor after the discovery.
I’d even say that we don’t yet fully understand the electron!
Laypeople use more scientific-sounding words, sure, but what more scientific way is there to understand something than to have discovered it yourself through experiment?