a belief that can guide behavior; "the architect has a theory that more is less"; "they killed him on the theory that dead men tell no tales"
a well-substantiated explanation of some aspect of the natural world; an organized system of accepted knowledge that applies in a variety of circumstances to explain a specific set of phenomena; "theories can incorporate facts and laws and tested hypotheses"; "true in fact and theory"
not restricted to one sect or school or party; "religious training in a nonsectarian atmosphere"; "nonsectarian colleges"; "a wide and unsectarian interest in religion"- Bertrand Russell
able to attract interest or draw favorable attention; "He added an appealing and memorable figure to popular American mythology"- Vincent Starrett; "an appealing sense of humor"; "the idea of having enough money to retire at fifty is very appealing"
expressing earnest entreaty; "the appealing and frightened look worn by an injured dog"; "she holds out her hand for money, importunate, insistent"; "a pleading note in her voice"
the words of something written; "there were more than a thousand words of text"; "they handed out the printed text of the mayor's speech"; "he wants to reconstruct the original text"
the main body of a written work (as distinct from illustrations or footnotes etc.); "pictures made the text easier to understand"
a passage from the Bible that is used as the subject of a sermon; "the preacher chose a text from Psalms to introduce his sermon"