supposition
/ˌsʌpəˈzɪʃən/ noun
Forms suppositions
- noun Something that is supposed; an assumption made to account for known facts, conjecture.
- noun The act or an instance of supposing.
Synonyms
assumption conjecture foreguess given guess hunch hypothesis inference posit possibility postulation presumption reckoning speculation surmise suspicion theory surmisal supposal
Etymology
From Middle English supposicioun, from Anglo-Norman supposicion, from Latin suppositiō, suppositiōnem (“supposition”), from sub- (“under”) + positiō, positiōnem (“position; theme”), from positus (“position”), from the perfect passive participle of pōnō, pōnere (“put, place”).
Webster’s 1913
- noun The act of supposing, laying down, imagining, or considering as true or existing, what is known not to be true, or what is not proved.
- noun That which is supposed; hypothesis; conjecture; surmise; opinion or belief without sufficient evidence.
Etymology [F. supposition, L. suppositio a placing under, a substitution, fr. supponere, suppositium, to put under, to substitute. The word has the meaning corresponding to suppose. See Sub-, and Position.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “supposition”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details