hypothetico-deductive

adjective

hy·​po·​thet·​i·​co-de·​duc·​tive ˌhī-pə-ˈthe-ti-ˌkō-di-ˈdək-tiv 

: relating to, being, or making use of the method of proposing hypotheses and testing their acceptability or falsity by determining whether their logical consequences are consistent with observed data

Word History

First Known Use

1912, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

hypothetico-deductive

adjective

hy·​po·​thet·​i·​co-de·​duc·​tive ˌhī-pə-ˈthet-i-ˌkō-di-ˈdək-tiv 

: of or relating to scientific method in which hypotheses suggested by the facts of observation are proposed and consequences deduced from them so as to test the hypotheses and evaluate the consequences