Supposed or suggested as a possibility without being proven true; exploring an imaginary scenario 'what if.'
From Greek 'hypotithenai' meaning to put under or suppose, from 'hypo' (under) and 'tithenai' (to place). The suffix '-ical' makes it adjectival, and '-ly' makes it an adverb for describing how something is done.
Scientists live in hypothetically—every experiment starts with 'hypothetically, if we do this...'—but the word reveals how careful thinking requires imagining what's not yet true, a cognitive skill that separates planning from mere reacting.
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