putative

Putative is an adjective meaning generally considered or reputed to be something, though not proven. It signals that a claim, identity, or role is accepted or supposed in the absence of definitive evidence. The term often marks provisional status, used when discussing what is believed, suspected, or assumed rather than established.

In legal contexts, putative appears in phrases such as putative father, referring to a man who is alleged or presumed to be the father of a child for purposes of paternity proceedings or related assessments. The label indicates assumption for legal or administrative reasons rather than confirmed paternity.

In science and scholarly writing, putative describes entities or functions that are asserted to be true but have not yet been verified. Examples include putative species (a proposed species not yet formally described or accepted), putative functions of a gene, or putative pathogens suspected to cause disease. The adverb putatively is used to indicate provisional status, as in putatively beneficial effects.

Etymology and usage notes: putative derives from Latin putare, meaning to think or reckon. In contemporary usage it functions as a cautious qualifier, helping to distinguish between what is believed or suspected and what is proven. Writers use putative to avoid overstatement and to acknowledge uncertainty, particularly in law, biology, and other disciplines where initial assumptions may later be confirmed or refuted.