Tahmin

Tahmin is a Turkish noun meaning estimation, guess, or forecast. It refers to the act of forming an approximate value or outcome and is used in both everyday language and formal contexts. The related verb tahmin etmek means to guess or to estimate, and its participles appear in phrases such as tahmini değer (estimated value).

In everyday usage, tahmin is used when making a rough guess or a forecast, such as bir tahmin yapmak (to make a guess) or hava tahmini (weather forecast). In professional fields, the term covers statistical estimation and predictive modeling: tahmin edici (estimator), tahmin hatası (estimation error), and tahmin modelleri (forecasting models). The word also appears in phrases like maliye tahmini (income forecast) or satış tahmini (sales forecast).

Etymology: Tahmin is a native Turkish word with long-standing usage in the language, reflecting historical linguistic influences from Middle Eastern languages. It has become a standard term across various domains in Turkish.

Usage notes: Despite its broad meaning, a tahmin does not guarantee accuracy; predictions are subject to uncertainty. In technical writing, it is common to qualify a tahmin with terms indicating likelihood or proximity, such as muhtemel (probable) or yaklaşık (approximately). In statistics, tahmin is distinguished from the actual value (gerçek) and from theoretical models, with related terms like tahmin edici (estimator) and tahmin hatası (estimation error).