hypothesis

hy·poth·e·sis

Use hypothesis in a sentence

A hypothesis is a theory.

noun

The definition of a hypothesis is an unproven theory or statement.

An example of hypothesis is the theory of evolution.

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"hypothesis." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 15 July 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/HYPOTHESIS>.

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hypothesis. (n.d.). Retrieved July 15th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/HYPOTHESIS

hypothesis

noun

pl. -·ses·

an unproved theory, proposition, supposition, etc. tentatively accepted to explain certain facts or (working hypothesis) to provide a basis for further investigation, argument, etc.

Origin of hypothesis

Gr, groundwork, foundation, supposition from hypotithenai, to place under from hypo-, under + tithenai, to place: see hypo- and do

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"hypothesis." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 15 July 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/HYPOTHESIS>.

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hypothesis. (n.d.). Retrieved July 15th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/HYPOTHESIS

hypothesis

noun

pl. hy·poth·e·ses,

A tentative explanation for an observation, phenomenon, or scientific problem that can be tested by further investigation.
Something taken to be true for the purpose of argument or investigation; an assumption.
The antecedent of a conditional statement.

Origin of hypothesis

Latin subject for a speech from Greek hupothesis proposal, supposition from hupotithenai hupothe- to suppose hupo- hypo- tithenai to place ; see dhē- in Indo-European roots.

THE AMERICAN HERITAGE® DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, FIFTH EDITION by the Editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries. Copyright © 2016, 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

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"hypothesis." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 15 July 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/HYPOTHESIS>.

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hypothesis. (n.d.). Retrieved July 15th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/HYPOTHESIS

Plural hypotheses (hī-pŏthˌ◌ĭ-sēzˌ◌)

A statement that explains or makes generalizations about a set of facts or principles, usually forming a basis for possible experiments to confirm its viability.

Usage The words hypothesis, law, and theory refer to different kinds of statements, or sets of statements, that scientists make about natural phenomena. A hypothesis is a proposition that attempts to explain a set of facts in a unified way. It generally forms the basis of experiments designed to establish its plausibility. Simplicity, elegance, and consistency with previously established hypotheses or laws are also major factors in determining the acceptance of a hypothesis. Though a hypothesis can never be proven true (in fact, hypotheses generally leave some facts unexplained), it can sometimes be verified beyond reasonable doubt in the context of a particular theoretical approach. A scientific law is a hypothesis that is assumed to be universally true. A law has good predictive power, allowing a scientist (or engineer) to model a physical system and predict what will happen under various conditions. New hypotheses inconsistent with well-established laws are generally rejected, barring major changes to the approach. An example is the law of conservation of energy, which was firmly established but had to be qualified with the revolutionary advent of quantum mechanics and the uncertainty principle. A theory is a set of statements, including laws and hypotheses, that explains a group of observations or phenomena in terms of those laws and hypotheses. A theory thus accounts for a wider variety of events than a law does. Broad acceptance of a theory comes when it has been tested repeatedly on new data and been used to make accurate predictions. Although a theory generally contains hypotheses that are still open to revision, sometimes it is hard to know where the hypothesis ends and the law or theory begins. Albert Einstein's theory of relativity, for example, consists of statements that were originally considered to be hypotheses (and daring at that). But all the hypotheses of relativity have now achieved the authority of scientific laws, and Einstein's theory has supplanted Newton's laws of motion. In some cases, such as the germ theory of infectious disease, a theory becomes so completely accepted, it stops being referred to as a theory.

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MLA Style

"hypothesis." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 15 July 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/HYPOTHESIS>.

APA Style

hypothesis. (n.d.). Retrieved July 15th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/HYPOTHESIS

Noun

(plural hypotheses)

(sciences) Used loosely, a tentative conjecture explaining an observation, phenomenon or scientific problem that can be tested by further observation, investigation and/or experimentation. As a scientific term of art, see the attached quotation. Compare to theory, and quotation given there.
(general) An assumption taken to be true for the purpose of argument or investigation.
(grammar) The antecedent of a conditional statement.

Origin

Recorded since 1596, from Middle French hypothese, from Late Latin hypothesis, from Ancient Greek ὑπόθεσις (hupothesis, “base, basis of an argument, supposition”), literally “a placing under”, itself from ὑποτίθημι (hupotithēmi, “I set before, suggest”), from ὑπό (upo, “below”) + τίθημι (tithēmi, “I put, place”).

English Wiktionary. Available under CC-BY-SA license.

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MLA Style

"hypothesis." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 15 July 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/HYPOTHESIS>.

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hypothesis. (n.d.). Retrieved July 15th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/HYPOTHESIS

hypothesis - Medical Definition

n.

pl. hypotheses (-sēz′)

A tentative explanation for an observation, phenomenon, or scientific problem that can be tested by further investigation.
Something taken to be true for the purpose of argument or investigation; an assumption.
The antecedent of a conditional statement.