Meaning

noun a well-substantiated explanation of some aspect of the natural world; an organized system of accepted knowledge that applies in a variety of circumstances to explain a specific set of phenomena

noun a tentative insight into the natural world; a concept that is not yet verified but that if true would explain certain facts or phenomena

noun a belief that can guide behavior

originEtymology tree Proto-Hellenic *tʰáwā Ancient Greek θέᾱ (théā) Proto-Indo-European *wer-der. Proto-Indo-European *h₃ekʷ-der. Proto-Indo-European *weyd-der. Ancient Greek ὁράω (horáō) Ancient Greek *θεᾱ-(ϝ)ορός, *θεη-(ϝ)ορός (*theā-(w)orós, *theē-(w)orós) Ancient Greek θεωρός (theōrós) Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-i-eh₂ Proto-Hellenic *-íā Ancient Greek…

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 3.0