hypothesis

Forms

hypothesis f (genitive hypothesis or hypotheseōs or hypothesios); third declension^[1] The accusative is usually hypothesin, and the word is sometimes spelled with yp-.^[2]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Ancient Greek ὑπόθεσις (hupóthesis, “base, foundation; supposition”),^[3][1] literally “a placing under”, from ὑπό (hupó, “under”) and θέσις (thésis, “a placing, proposition”).^[4][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

Cicero still writes it in Greek letters, in a letter to his brother Quintus, of the subject of a piece of writing: he sees that Quintus has an excellent subject to write about.^[2][5]

Semantic evolution

As a term of rhetoric it named a particular question, about definite persons and circumstances, as opposed to the general question, thesis: Quintilian says that the Greeks call such limited questions hypotheses and the Romans causes,^[2] and later rhetoricians such as Sulpicius Victor and Martianus Capella define it in the same way.^[2] Fronto uses it for the subject of a speech,^[3] and Jerome for the argument of a whole epistle.^[2]

Medieval Latin kept the senses of a summary or subject and gave it that of a hypothesis,^[6] an assumption or premise in logic, with the phrase ex hypothesi “on that supposition”.^[7][8] English borrowed it in the 1590s, from French and directly from Late Latin.^[4]

Timeline

• 81–43 BC – Cicero writes the Greek word in Greek letters.^[2][5]
• c. 35–95/96 AD – Quintilian uses it as a term of rhetoric.^[2][5]
• 100–170 AD – Fronto uses it for the subject of a speech.^[3][5]
• c. 383–419/420 AD – Jerome uses it for the argument of the Epistle to the Galatians.^[2][5]
• 5th century AD – Martianus Capella counts the three kinds of causes as falling under the hypothesis.^[2][5]
• 1590s – English borrows it as hypothesis.^[4]

Meanings

Noun

1. The subject or theme of a speech or piece of writing; the argument of a work.^[3][2]
2. (rhetoric) A particular question, concerning definite persons and circumstances, as opposed to a general one (thesis).^[2][7]
3. (Medieval Latin) A summary of contents.^[6]
4. (Medieval Latin, logic) A supposition, an assumption or premise;^[8][7][6] ex hypothesi, on that supposition, hypothetically.^[8][7][6]

Related words

• English hypothesis

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
3. ^ a b c d Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
4. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
5. ^ a b c d e f g Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
6. ^ a b c d Niermeyer, J. F. (1976), Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden: Brill
7. ^ a b c d Mittellateinisches Wörterbuch bis zum ausgehenden 13. Jahrhundert (1967–), Munich: C. H. Beck; Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
8. ^ a b c Latham, R. E., D. R. Howlett, R. K. Ashdowne, et al. (1975–2013), Dictionary of Medieval Latin from British Sources, London: British Academy / Oxford University Press