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hypothesis

Pronunciation: /hʌɪˈpɒθɪsɪs/
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Definition of hypothesis

noun (plural hypotheses /-siːz/)

  • a supposition or proposed explanation made on the basis of limited evidence as a starting point for further investigation:his ‘steady state’ hypothesis of the origin of the universe
  • Philosophy a proposition made as a basis for reasoning, without any assumption of its truth: [with clause]:the hypothesis that every event has a cause

Derivatives

hypothesist

Pronunciation: /-sɪst/
noun

Origin:

late 16th century: via late Latin from Greek hupothesis 'foundation', from hupo 'under' + thesis 'placing'

Spelling rule

Make the plural by changing the -is ending to -es: (hypotheses).

hypothesis in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of hypothesis in the US English dictionary

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