predicate

[ noun, adjective pred-i-kit; verb pred-i-keyt ]
See synonyms for predicate on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. Grammar. (in many languages, such as English) one of the two main parts of a sentence, containing the verb and any of its objects, modifiers, or other completions, and generally expressing an action, state, or condition: for example, got here quickly in Larry got here quickly, or ate a cookie in I ate a cookie, or slept in The exhausted student slept.: Compare subject (def. 9).

  2. Logic. that which is affirmed or denied concerning the subject of a proposition.

verb (used with object),pred·i·cat·ed, pred·i·cat·ing.
  1. to found or derive (a statement, action, etc.); base (usually followed by on): He predicated his behavior on his faith in humanity.The modern situation is predicated on the illusion of total independence.

  2. to proclaim; declare; affirm; assert: A spokesperson predicated that the Supreme Court wouldn't overrule the doctrine of dual sovereignty.

  1. Logic.

    • to affirm or assert (something) of the subject of a proposition.

    • to make (a term) the predicate of such a proposition.

  2. to connote; imply: His retraction predicates a change of attitude.

verb (used without object),pred·i·cat·ed, pred·i·cat·ing.
  1. to make an affirmation or assertion.

adjective
  1. predicated.

  2. Grammar. belonging to the predicate: a predicate noun.

Origin of predicate

1
First recorded in 1400–50; (noun) late Middle English, from Middle French predicat or from Medieval Latin praedicātum, noun use of neuter of Latin praedicātus “declared publicly,” past participle of praedicāre “to declare publicly, assert” (see pre-, indicate); (verb and adjective) from Latin praedicātus; see preach

Other words from predicate

  • pred·i·ca·tion [pred-i-key-shuhn], /ˌprɛd ɪˈkeɪ ʃən/, noun
  • pred·i·ca·tive [pred-i-key-tiv, -kuh-; British pri-dik-uh-tiv], /ˈprɛd ɪˌkeɪ tɪv, -kə-; British prɪˈdɪk ə tɪv/, adjective
  • pred·i·ca·tive·ly, adverb
  • non·pred·i·ca·tive, adjective
  • non·pred·i·ca·tive·ly, adverb
  • sub·pred·i·cate, noun
  • sub·pred·i·ca·tive, adjective
  • un·pred·i·cat·ed, adjective
  • un·pred·i·ca·tive, adjective
  • un·pred·i·ca·tive·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

British Dictionary definitions for predicate

predicate

verb(ˈprɛdɪˌkeɪt) (mainly tr)
  1. (also intr; when tr, may take a clause as object) to proclaim, declare, or affirm

  2. to imply or connote

  1. (foll by on or upon) to base or found (a proposition, argument, etc)

  2. logic

    • to assert or affirm (a property, characteristic, or condition) of the subject of a proposition

    • to make (a term, expression, etc) the predicate of a proposition

noun(ˈprɛdɪkɪt)
  1. grammar

    • the part of a sentence in which something is asserted or denied of the subject of a sentence; one of the two major components of a sentence, the other being the subject

    • (as modifier): a predicate adjective

  2. logic

    • an expression that is derived from a sentence by the deletion of a name

    • a property, characteristic, or attribute that may be affirmed or denied of something. The categorial statement all men are mortal relates two predicates, is a man and is mortal

    • the term of a categorial proposition that is affirmed or denied of its subject. In this example all men is the subject, and mortal is the predicate

    • a function from individuals to truth values, the truth set of the function being the extension of the predicate

adjective(ˈprɛdɪkɪt)
  1. of or relating to something that has been predicated

Origin of predicate

1
C16: from Latin praedicāre to assert publicly, from prae in front, in public + dīcere to say

Derived forms of predicate

  • predication, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Cultural definitions for predicate

predicate

[ (pred-i-kuht) ]


The part of a sentence that shows what is being said about the subject. The predicate includes the main verb and all its modifiers. In the following sentence, the italicized portion is the predicate: “Olga's dog was the ugliest creature on four legs.”

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.