In article ,
Bob wrote:

As others have noted -- and shown! -- the terms hypothesis and theory
are not used consistently. But "officially", in the context of formal
discussion of that somewhat abstract notion of "scientific method", a
theory is something that is generally well accepted (meaning that it
has been tested). Also note that it does not convey "understanding"
why it is true.

theory -- An attempt to explain a certain class of phenomena by deducing
them as necessary consequences of other phenomena regarded as more
primitive and less in need of explanation. McGraw-Hill Dictionary of
Scientific and Technical Terms, 2nd Ed.

There was never a need to refer to the special hypothesis of relativity.
Whether tested or not, or even wrong, a theory is as described above. It
is the collection of postulates and definitions from which predictions of
the real world are to be derived. An untested theory is a theory that
hasn't been tested, a theory that is proven wrong is still a theory, it's
just a theory that's wrong.

Hypotheses, in a sense, are a larger class of propositions, since many
hypotheses can be formed that could never become a theory, but any theory
can be used as an hypothesis. And a proposition can be theory and
hypothesis at the same time.

--
"When fighting with sharpened Bronze, or harder Metals from the Heavens,
it is Wise to kick thy Opponent, be he a Chaldean or a man of Uruk, in his
Man Sack, that thou mayst defeat him more handily than by Arms. So sayeth
INNAMURUTUSHIMMILODEK, who hath slain threescore Ammelekites."