theory
Definition from Wiktionary, the free dictionary
Contents |
[edit] English
[edit] Etymology
From Late Latin theōria, from Ancient Greek θεωρία (“contemplation, speculation, a looking at, things looked at”), from θεωρέω (“I look at, view, consider, examine”), from θεωρός (“spectator”), from θέα (“a view”) + ὁράω (“I see,look”).
[edit] Pronunciation
[edit] Noun
theory (countable and uncountable; plural theories)
- (obsolete) Mental conception; reflection, consideration. [16th-18th c.]
- 1646, Thomas Browne, Pseudodoxia Epidemica, VII.19:
- As they encrease the hatred of vice in some, so doe they enlarge the theory of wickednesse in all.
- 1646, Thomas Browne, Pseudodoxia Epidemica, VII.19:
- (sciences) A coherent statement or set of ideas that explains observed facts or phenomena, or which sets out the laws and principles of something known or observed; a hypothesis confirmed by observation, experiment etc. [from 17th c.]
- 2002, Duncan Steel, The Guardian, 23 May 2002:
- It was only when Einstein's theory of relativity was published in 1915 that physicists could show that Mercury's "anomaly" was actually because Newton's gravitational theory was incomplete.
- 2003, Bill Bryson, A Short History of Nearly Everything, BCA, p. 118:
- The world would need additional decades [...] before the Big Bang would begin to move from interesting idea to established theory.
- 2002, Duncan Steel, The Guardian, 23 May 2002:
- (uncountable) The underlying principles or methods of a given technical skill, art etc., as opposed to its practice. [from 17th c.]
- 1990, Tony Bennett, Outside Literature, p. 139:
- Does this mean, then, that there can be no such thing as a theory of literature?
- 1998, Elizabeth Souritz, The Great History of Russian Ballet:
- Lopukhov wrote a number of books and articles on ballet theory, as well as his memoirs.
- 1990, Tony Bennett, Outside Literature, p. 139:
- (mathematics) A field of study attempting to exhaustively describe a particular class of constructs. [from 18th c.]
- Knot theory classifies the mappings of a circle into 3-space.
- A hypothesis or conjecture. [from 18th c.]
- 1999, Wes DeMott, Vapors:
- It's just a theory I have, and I wonder if women would agree. But don't men say a lot about themselves when a short-skirted woman slides out of a car or chair?
- 2003, Sean Coughlan, The Guardian, 21 Jun 2003:
- The theory is that by stripping costs to the bone, they are able to offer ludicrously low fares.
- 1999, Wes DeMott, Vapors:
- (countable) (logic) A set of axioms together with all statements derivable from them. Equivalently, a formal language plus a set of axioms (from which can then be derived theorems).
- A theory is consistent if it has a model.
[edit] Usage notes
In scientific discourse, the sense “unproven conjecture” is discouraged (with hypothesis or conjecture preferred), due to unintentional ambiguity and intentional equivocation with the sense “well-developed statement or structure”. This is particularly found with reference to the “theory of evolution”, which opponents disparage with “it’s just a theory [conjecture]”, while proponents retort that in this context, theory means instead “well-developed, well-established”.
[edit] Synonyms
- See also Wikisaurus:supposition
[edit] Derived terms
terms derived from theory
[edit] Related terms
[edit] Translations
a coherent set of statements attempting to explain observed phenomena
an unproven conjecture
|
|
a field of study in mathematics
in logic: a set of axioms and all statements derivable from them
- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.
Translations to be checked
