A coherent statement or set of ideas that explains observed facts or phenomena and correctly predicts new facts or phenomena not previously observed, or which sets out the laws and principles of something known or observed; a hypothesis confirmed by observation, experiment etc.
A field of study attempting to exhaustively describe a particular class of constructs.
A set of axioms together with all statements derivable from them; or, a set of statements which are deductively closed. Equivalently, a formal language plus a set of axioms (from which can then be derived theorems). The statements may be required to all be bound (i.e., to have no free variables).
A hypothesis or conjecture.
A description of an event or system that is considered to be accurate.
The underlying principles or methods of a given technical skill, art etc., as opposed to its practice.
The genuinity - as distinguished from the efficacity or the regularity - of a sacrament as a result of some formal dispositions being fulfilled.
The state of being valid, authentic or genuine.
State of having legal force.
A quality of a measurement indicating the degree to which the measure reflects the underlying construct, that is, whether it measures what it purports to measure (see reliability).