Conjecture

How to spell conjecture

10 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce conjecture

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does conjecture mean?

1. nounA conclusion or opinion formed on the basis of incomplete information.
2. verbTo form an opinion or conclusion on the basis of incomplete information.

Conjecture in a sentence

• noun

  Without the sales figures, any forecast is pure conjecture.

• verb

  Analysts can only conjecture about what caused the sudden price drop.

• noun

  The detective dismissed the theory as mere conjecture unsupported by evidence.

• verb

  We can conjecture that the building dates from the 1700s, but no records survive.

Where does conjecture come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word comes from the Latin coniectura, meaning a guess, inference, or interpretation, especially of dreams or omens. That noun was built on the verb conicere, literally 'to throw together', from con- 'together' and iacere 'to throw'. The idea is vivid: when you conjecture, you mentally throw scattered facts together and see where they land. English took it through Old French in the late 1300s, originally with senses tied to divination and the interpretation of signs before settling into the modern meaning of an opinion based on incomplete evidence. The same iacere root, which keeps its hidden 'j' spelling in many descendants, also underlies 'project', 'eject', and 'inject', and remembering that buried 'ject' helps fix the awkward middle of conjecture.

How the word is built

• con- (together)
• ject (throw, from Latin iacere)
• -ure (noun/result suffix)