Theorie

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A systematic explanation of a set of observations or phenomena in a specific field of study
2. a framework for understanding principles or concepts that guide inquiry and research
3. a collection of ideas and principles that seek to explain natural or social occurrences and predict outcomes

Etymology: "Theorie" is the German spelling of "theory," and German uses it in the same sense as English: a systematic explanation of observed phenomena. The German form is actually the closer relative of the two in one respect, since German borrowed it directly from Latin and Greek while English took the same word through Old French. Both trace back to Greek "theoria," meaning a looking at or contemplation, from "theorein," to observe or consider, which is itself built from "thea," a view, and the root of "horan," to see. The original Greek sense was closer to watching than to reasoning. A "theoros" was a person sent to observe a festival or consult an oracle on behalf of a city, so the word carried the idea of witnessing something and reporting on it. Only gradually did it shift toward the mental work of contemplating and explaining what one had seen, which is the sense that scientific theories inherited. German "Theorie" has been in use since the early modern period, and it became especially prominent in German philosophy and the sciences. Its spelling with "ie" follows the same pattern as many other German words borrowed from Latin or Greek, where the vowel is written to match the source.

Synonyms: theory, hypothesis, model, concept, idea

Antonyms: fact, reality, certainty, proof, truth