S: (n) hypothesis, possibility, theory (a tentative insight into the natural world; a concept that is not yet verified but that if true would explain certain facts or phenomena) "a scientific hypothesis that survives experimental testing becomes a scientific theory"; "he proposed a fresh theory of alkalis that later was accepted in chemical practices"
S: (n) hypothetical (a hypothetical possibility, circumstance, statement, proposal, situation, etc.) "consider the following, just as a hypothetical"
S: (n) gemmule (the physically discrete element that Darwin proposed as responsible for heredity)
S: (n) model, theoretical account, framework (a hypothetical description of a complex entity or process) "the computer program was based on a model of the circulatory and respiratory systems"
S: (n) speculation, conjecture (a hypothesis that has been formed by speculating or conjecturing (usually with little hard evidence)) "speculations about the outcome of the election"; "he dismissed it as mere conjecture"