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Definition

noun, plural: hypotheses

A supposition or tentative explanation for (a group of) phenomena, (a set of) facts, or a scientific inquiry that may be tested, verified or answered by further investigation or methodological experiment.

Supplement

A scientific hypothesis that has been verified through scientific experiment and research may well be considered a scientific theory.

Word origin: Gk hypóthesis basis, supposition.

Derived terms: hypothesize (verb), hypothetical (adjective), hypothetically (adverb).
Related terms: alternative hypothesis, michaelis-menten hypothesis, neyman-pearson statistical hypothesis, null hypothesis, sliding filament hypothesis, wobble hypothesis.

Compare: law, theory.