conjecture

See also: conjecturé

English

WOTD – 26 June 2007

Etymology

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.

Pronunciation

  • (UK) IPA(key): /kənˈd͡ʒɛk.t͡ʃə(ɹ)/
  • (US) IPA(key): /kənˈd͡ʒɛk.t͡ʃɚ/
  • (file)
  • (file)

Noun

conjecture (countable and uncountable, plural conjectures)

  1. (formal) A 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. (formal) A supposition based upon incomplete evidence; a hypothesis.
    The physicist used his conjecture about subatomic particles to design an experiment.
  3. (mathematics, philology) A statement likely to be true based on available evidence, but which has not been formally proven.
  4. (obsolete) Interpretation of signs and omens.

Synonyms

Translations

Verb

conjecture (third-person singular simple present conjectures, present participle conjecturing, simple past and past participle conjectured)

  1. (formal, intransitive) To guess; to venture an unproven idea.
    I do not know if it is true; I am simply conjecturing here.
  2. (transitive) To infer on slight evidence; to guess at.
    • South
      Human reason can then, at the best, but conjecture what will be.

Translations

Further reading

  • conjecture in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
  • conjecture” in Douglas Harper, Online Etymology Dictionary, 2001–2019.
  • conjecture in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.

French

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin coniectūra.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /kɔ̃.ʒɛk.tyʁ/

Noun

conjecture f (plural conjectures)

  1. conjecture

Usage notes

Not to be confused with conjoncture.

Verb

conjecture

  1. first-person singular present indicative of conjecturer
  2. third-person singular present indicative of conjecturer
  3. first-person singular present subjunctive of conjecturer
  4. third-person singular present subjunctive of conjecturer
  5. second-person singular imperative of conjecturer

Further reading


Latin

Participle

conjectūre

  1. vocative masculine singular of conjectūrus

Portuguese

Verb

conjecture

  1. first-person singular (eu) present subjunctive of conjecturar
  2. third-person singular (ele and ela, also used with você and others) present subjunctive of conjecturar
  3. third-person singular (você) affirmative imperative of conjecturar
  4. third-person singular (você) negative imperative of conjecturar
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