Editing M-theory (section)

===Origin of the term===

Initially, some physicists suggested that the new theory was a fundamental theory of membranes, but Witten was skeptical of the role of membranes in the theory. In a paper from 1996, Hořava and Witten wrote

{{Blockquote|As it has been proposed that the eleven-dimensional theory is a supermembrane theory but there are some reasons to doubt that interpretation, we will non-committally call it the M-theory, leaving to the future the relation of M to membranes.<ref name="Hořava and Witten 1996a"/>|sign=|source= }}

In the absence of an understanding of the true meaning and structure of M-theory, Witten has suggested that the ''M'' should stand for "magic", "mystery", or "membrane" according to taste, and the true meaning of the title should be decided when a more fundamental formulation of the theory is known.<ref name="Duff 1996, sec. 1" /> Years later, he would state, "I thought my colleagues would understand that it really stood for membrane. Unfortunately, it got people confused."<ref>{{cite book |last=Gefter |first=Amanda |date=2014 |title=Trespassing on Einstein's Lawn: A Father, a Daughter, the Meaning of Nothing and the Beginning of Everything |publisher=Random House |isbn=978-0-345-531438}} at 345</ref>