'Theory' is Greek for 'contemplation' — from the same root as 'theater.' A theorist was a sacred spectator.
A systematic set of principles or ideas intended to explain something, especially one based on general principles independent of the particular things to be explained.
From Late Latin theoria, from Greek theōría (θεωρία), meaning a looking at, a viewing, a contemplation, a speculation. Derived from theōreîn (θεωρεῖν, to look at, to observe), from theōrós (θεωρός, a spectator, an envoy sent to observe oracles and games), a compound of theā (a viewing, a sight) + horân (to see). Originally a theōría was the act of sending state representatives (theōroi) to witness sacred games or consult oracles — official observation with institutional authority
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