Part 972

Nebular hypothesis. See under Nebular.

{ Hy`po*thet"ic (?), Hy`po*thet"ic*al (?), } a. [L. hypotheticus, Gr. &?;: cf. F. hypothÈtique.] Characterized by, or of the nature of, an hypothesis; conditional; assumed without proof, for the purpose of reasoning and deducing proof, or of accounting for some fact or phenomenon.

Causes hypothetical at least, if not real, for the various phenomena of the existence of which our experience informs us.

Sir W. Hamilton.

Hypothetical baptism (Ch. of Eng.), baptism administered to persons in respect to whom it is doubtful whether they have or have not been baptized before. Hook.

-- Hy`po*thet"ic*al*ly, adv. South.

Hy*poth"e*tist (?), n. One who proposes or supports an hypothesis. [R.]

||Hy`po*tra*che"li*um (?), n. [L., fr. Gr. &?;; &?; under + &?; neck.] ||(Arch.) Same as Gorgerin.

||Hy*pot"ri*cha (?), n. pl. [NL., fr. Gr. "ypo` beneath + &?;, &?;, a ||hair.] (Zoˆl.) A division of ciliated Infusoria in which the cilia ||cover only the under side of the body.

Hy`po*tro"choid (?), n. [Pref. hypo- + trochoid.] (Geom.) A curve, traced by a point in the radius, or radius produced, of a circle which rolls upon the concave side of a fixed circle. See Hypocycloid, Epicycloid, and Trochoid.

||Hy`po*ty*po"sis (?), n. [NL., fr. Gr. &?;, fr. &?; to sketch out; &?; ||under + &?; to impress.] (Rhet.) A vivid, picturesque description of ||scenes or events.

Hy`po*xan"thin (?), n. [Pref. hypo- + xanthin.] (Physiol. Chem.) A crystalline, nitrogenous substance, closely related to xanthin and uric acid, widely distributed through the animal body, but especially in muscle tissue; -- called also sarcin, sarkin.

Hy`po*zo"ic (?), a. [Pref. hypo- + Gr. &?; an animal.] (Geol.) Anterior in age to the lowest rocks which contain organic remains. Lyell.

Hyp"pish (?), a. [From Hyp.] Affected with hypochondria; hypped. [Written also hyppish.]

Hyp"po*griff (?), n. See Hyppogriff.

Hyp"si*loid (?), a. [From , the Greek letter called "upsilon" + -oid.] (Anat.) Resembling the Greek letter in form; hyoid.

Hyp*som"e*ter (?), n. [Gr. &?; height + -meter.] (Physics) An instrument for measuring heights by observation of barometric pressure; esp., one for determining heights by ascertaining the boiling point of water. It consists of a vessel for water, with a lamp for heating it, and an inclosed thermometer for showing the temperature of ebullition.

{ Hyp`so*met"ric (?), Hyp`so*met"ric*al (?), } a. Of or pertaining to hypsometry.

Hyp*som"e*try (?), n. That branch of the science of geodesy which has to do with the measurement of heights, either absolutely with reference to the sea level, or relatively.

Hy*pu"ral (?), a. [Pref. hypo- + Gr. &?; tail.] (Anat.) Under the tail; -- applied to the bones which support the caudal fin rays in most fishes.

Hy"ra*coid (?), a. (Zoˆl.) Of or pertaining to the Hyracoidea. -- n. One of the Hyracoidea.

||Hyr`a*coi"de*a (?), n. pl. [NL. See Hyrax, and oid.] (Zoˆl.) An order ||of small hoofed mammals, comprising the single living genus Hyrax.

||Hy"rax (?), n. [NL., fr. Gr. &?; shrew mouse.] (Zoˆl.) Any animal of ||the genus Hyrax, of which about four species are known. They ||constitute the order Hyracoidea. The best known species are the daman ||(H. Syriacus) of Palestine, and the klipdas (H. capensis) of South ||Africa. Other species are H. arboreus and H. Sylvestris, the former ||from Southern, and the latter from Western, Africa. See Daman.

{ Hyr*ca"ni*an (?), Hyr"can (?), } a. Of or pertaining to Hyrcania, an ancient country or province of Asia, southeast of the Caspian (which was also called the Hyrcanian) Sea. "The Hyrcan tiger." "Hyrcanian deserts." Shak.

Hyrse (?), n. [G. hirse, OHG. hirsi.] (Bot.) Millet.

Hyrst (?), n. A wood. See Hurst.

Hy"son (?), n. [Chin. hi-tshun, lit., first crop, or blooming spring.] A fragrant kind of green tea.

Hyson skin, the light and inferior leaves separated from the hyson by a winnowing machine. MëCulloch.