conjecture

What it means

1. countableformaluncountableA statement or an idea which is unproven, but is thought to be true; a guess.

   I explained it, but it is pure conjecture whether he understood, or not.

2. countableformaluncountableA supposition based upon incomplete evidence; a hypothesis.

   The physicist used his conjecture about subatomic particles to design an experiment.

3. countableuncountablehuman sciencesA statement likely to be true based on available evidence, but which has not been formally proven.

In a sentence

I explained it, but it is pure conjecture whether he understood, or not.

Where it comes from

1. Latinconiectūra“a guess”
2. Englishconjecture

From Old French, from Latin coniectūra (“a guess”), from coniectus, perfect passive participle of cōniciō (“throw or cast together; guess”), from con- (“together”) + iaciō (“throw, hurl”); see jet. Compare adjective, eject, inject, project, reject, subject, object, trajectory, deject, abject, surjection, bijection, interject. Compare typologically Russian прики́дывать (prikídyvatʹ) (akin to кида́ть (kidátʹ)).