Hypothesis

How to spell hypothesis

10 letters · 4 syllables

How to pronounce hypothesis

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does hypothesis mean?

1. nounA proposed explanation put forward as a starting point for testing or further investigation.

Hypothesis in a sentence

• The researchers designed an experiment to test their hypothesis.

• Her hypothesis was that the new fertiliser would increase the yield.

Where does hypothesis come from?

Language of origin: Greek

The word comes from the Greek hypothesis, which literally meant 'a placing under' or 'a foundation', built from hypo 'under, beneath' and thesis 'a placing or proposition' (itself from tithenai 'to put or place'). In ancient Greek argument it described a base or supposition laid down as the groundwork for further reasoning, much as a building rests on a foundation. Latin took it over as hypothesis, and English adopted it in the late 1500s, at first meaning a proposition assumed for the sake of argument. By the era of modern science it had narrowed to its familiar sense: a tentative explanation put forward to be tested by evidence. The same thesis root appears in 'thesis', 'synthesis', and 'parenthesis', and the silent-feeling 'y' and the 'th' clusters are exactly where writers slip when spelling it.

How the word is built

• hypo- (under, beneath)
• thesis (a placing, a proposition)