Meaning of hypothesis

The word hypothesis (plural is hypotheses) is derived from the Greek word – ‘hypotithenai’ meaning ‘to put under’ or ‘to suppose’ for a hypothesis to be put forward as a scientific hypothesis, the scientific method requires that one can test it. Etymologically hypothesis is made up of two words, “hypo” (less than) and “thesis”, which mean less than or less certain than a thesis.  It is the presumptive statement of a proposition or a reasonable guess, based upon the available evidence, which the researcher seeks to prove through his study.

According to Lundberg, “A hypothesis is a tentative generalisation, the validity of which remains to be tested.  In its most elementary stage, the hypothesis may be any hunch, guess, imaginative idea, which becomes the basis for action or investigation.

A hypothesis is a tentative assumption drawn from knowledge and theory which is used as a guide in the investigation of other facts and theories that are yet unknown.

It is a guess, supposition or tentative inference as to the existence of some fact, condition or relationship relative to some phenomenon which serves to explain such facts as already are known to exist in a given area of research and to guide the search for new truth.

Hypotheses reflect the research worker’s guess as to the probable outcome of the experiments.