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1662 R. Boyle Def. Doctr. Spring & Weight of Air (title page) Wherewith the Objector's Funicular Hypothesis is also examin'd.

1662 R. Boyle Def. Doctr. Spring & Weight of Air ii. ii. 35 'Tis very unlikely that the space which our Adversary would have replenish'd with his Funicular substance, should be full of little highly-stretcht strings, that lay fast hold of the Surfaces of all contiguous bodies, and alwayes violently endeavour to pull them inwards.

1709 F. Hauksbee Physico-mech. Exper. iii. 70 The Objections of the Favourers of Suction and the Funicular Hypothesis.

1737 J. Rowning Compend. Syst. Nat. Philos. (ed. 3) iv. 87 Linus's funicular Hypothesis (as it was called) though it seemed to solve all other Phenomena, relating to the Suspension of the Mercury, was with justice rejected.

1820 J. C. Robertson & T. Byerley Percy Anecd. 94 Father Linus, plunging still deeper in mysticism and absurdity, gravely proposed the funicular hypothesis, which attributes the suspension of the mercurial column to the agency of certain invisible small threads!

1887 Proc. Lit. & Philos. Soc. Liverpool 41 117 When Linus did try to give a theory, it was a curiosity. His main attempt at an explanation..was the funicular theory.

1965 S. G. Brush Kinetic Theory I. Introd. 5 Remember that the funicular hypothesis was an example of the type of pseudo-mechanical explanation of physical phenomena that used to be quite popular in the early days of science.

2011 P. R. Anstey John Locke & Nat. Philos. iv. 80 Take for instance Boyle's assessment of Linus' funicular hypothesis, namely that an invisible string held up the column of mercury in the Torricellian apparatus.