Prout's hypothesis

proper noun

An early 19th-century attempt to explain the existence of the various chemical elements: the hypothesis that, since the atomic weights for known elements appeared to be whole multiples of the atomic weight of hydrogen, the hydrogen atom was the only truly fundamental object, and the atoms of other elements were actually groupings of various numbers of hydrogen atoms.

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Meanings

proper noun
  1. historicalphysicalchemistryAn early 19th-century attempt to explain the existence of the various chemical elements: the hypothesis that, since the atomic weights for known elements appeared to be whole multiples of the atomic weight of hydrogen, the hydrogen atom was the only truly fundamental object, and the atoms of other elements were actually groupings of various numbers of hydrogen atoms.

Origin

Named after the English chemist William Prout.

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Cite this entry
APA

Prout's hypothesis. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Prout's%20hypothesis

MLA

“Prout's hypothesis.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Prout's%20hypothesis. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Prout's hypothesis,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Prout's%20hypothesis.

Source: Prout's hypothesis on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.