noun
hypo
An imagined situation used to explore a question.
The professor used a hypo to test our understanding of the rule.
Etymology
Hypo shortens hypothetical. It names the imagined case itself, used to test reasoning or explore what would follow if its assumptions held.
More examples
- Her exam included a complicated legal hypo.
- We changed one fact in the hypo and reconsidered the answer.
- The discussion began with a simple hypo about a lost wallet.
Forms
hypo · hypos
Similar words
- hypothetical
- Hypo is an informal shortening for a hypothetical question or situation.
- case
- A case may be real or imagined; a hypo is deliberately invented to test reasoning.