hypotético

Hypotético is an adjective used to describe a situation, claim, or proposition that is assumed for the sake of argument, without asserting it as fact. It is commonly employed in philosophical, scientific, mathematical, and everyday discourse to explore consequences under hypothetical conditions. In Spanish, the standard form is hipotético; in Portuguese, hipotético. The spelling hypotético with a y is generally considered nonstandard in these languages and may appear only in multilingual texts or as a misspelling influenced by English.

Etymology: The term derives from Greek hypothetikos, via Latin hypotheticus, with the Romance-language adaptation leading to forms such as hipotético in Spanish and Portuguese. The prefix hypo- means "under" and the root relates to placing or positing conditions.

Usage: Hypotético is used to describe scenarios or statements that are not asserted as real but are used to reason about possible outcomes. It can modify nouns (un escenario hipotético), verbs (considerar una hipótesis hipotética), or entire clauses in phrases like “en un marco hipotético” or “una afirmación hipotética.” In logic and science, it introduces propositions under assumed premises to test implications or models.

Examples: En un marco hipotético, supongamos que la velocidad de la luz es constante. Si la demanda aumenta, la economía podría responder de forma hipotética de varias maneras.

See also: hypothesis, hypothetical proposition, hypothetical reasoning.