Conjecture

Etymology

Middle English, from Middle French or Latin; Middle French, from Latin conjectura, from conjectus, past participle of conicere, literally, to throw together, from com- + jacere to throw

• Date: 14th century

Definitions

• 1 obsolete a : interpretation of omens

b : supposition

• 2 a : inference from defective or presumptive evidence

b : a conclusion deduced by surmise or guesswork

c : a proposition (as in mathematics) before it has been proved or disproved

Description

A conjecture is a proposition that is unproven but appears correct and has not been disproven. Karl Popper pioneered the use of the term "conjecture" in philosophy. Conjecture is contrasted by hypothesis (hence theory, axiom, principle), which is a testable statement based on accepted grounds. In mathematics, a conjecture is an unproven proposition or theorem that appears correct.[1]