ansatz

noun

an·​satz ˈän-ˌsäts 

plural ansatzes

: an initial estimate of the solution to a mathematical or technical problem that is used to guide work to a more precise answer

This schematic picture suggests that the surface flux distribution is coupled to the solar rotation. It is an appealing ansatz for describing part of the temperature data in Fig. 1B.

—J. R. Kuhn et al.

Examples of ansatz in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

There are many different types of tensor networks, but among the most useful is the one known by the acronym MERA (multiscale entanglement renormalization ansatz). —Jennifer Ouellette, Quanta Magazine, 28 Apr. 2015

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from German, "beginning, initial statement, estimate," noun derivative of ansetzen "to put to, fix, set, estimate," from an "on, at" (going back to Old High German ana) + setzen "to set, place," going back to Old High German sezzen — more at on entry 1, set entry 1

First Known Use

1942, in the meaning defined above