Added 9 October 2026
premise
/ˈpɹɛm.ɪs/ noun
Latin root: premissa Wiktionary
noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about premise at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
-
A statement that is assumed to be true and from which a conclusion can be drawn.
on the assumption that he has been injured we can infer that he will not play
verb
-
Set forth beforehand, often as an explanation.
He premised these remarks so that his readers might understand
-
Furnish with a preface or introduction.
She always precedes her lectures with a joke
- Take something as preexisting and given.
Origin
From Middle English premise, premisse, from Old French premisse, from Medieval Latin premissa (“set before”) (premissa propositio (“the proposition set before”)), feminine past participle of Latin praemittere (“to send or put before”), from prae- (“before”) + mittere (“to send”). Sense 4, a piece of real estate arose from the misinterpretation of the word by property owners while reading title deeds where the word was used with the legal sense.
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)