hypothesis (
http://definr.com/hypothesis)
n 1: a proposal intended to explain certain facts or observations
2: a tentative theory about the natural world; a concept that
is not yet verified but that if true would explain certain
facts or phenomena; "a scientific hypothesis that survives
experimental testing becomes a scientific theory"; "he
proposed a fresh theory of alkalis that later was accepted
in chemical practices" [syn:
possibility,
theory]
3: a message expressing an opinion based on incomplete evidence
[syn:
guess,
conjecture,
supposition,
surmise,
surmisal,
speculation]