hypothesis

Noun

• a message expressing an opinion based on incomplete evidence

• a tentative insight into 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
    

• a proposal intended to explain certain facts or observations

Related words

• Synonyms: 
  guess , conjecture , supposition , surmise , surmisal , speculation , possibility , theory