posit

[poz-it]

verb (used with object)

1. to place, put, or set.

2. to lay down or assume as a fact or principle; postulate.

noun

1. something that is posited; an assumption; postulate.

posit

/ ˈpɒzɪt /

verb

1. to assume or put forward as fact or the factual basis for an argument; postulate

2. to put in position

noun

1. a fact, idea, etc, that is posited; assumption

Word History and Origins

Origin of posit¹

First recorded in 1640–50; from Latin positus, past participle of pōnere “to place, put”

Word History and Origins

Origin of posit¹

C17: from Latin pōnere to place, position

Example Sentences

Atwood posits that “every question-and-answer session” is an illusion where there are “at least two beings: the one who lives, and the one who writes.”

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“West End Girl” and the public’s ensuing reaction posit that it might be possible.

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Sibylline posits that, faced with mounting economic and political pressure internally, China may feel compelled to force unification with Taiwan in 2027.

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In another joint paper on “the illusion of validity,” that legendary duo posited that an apparent similarity between two unrelated events, a parchment-paper test, makes us partial to seemingly endless, overconfident prophesies of disaster.

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A strict materialist explanation must posit a so-far-unknown capability of the brain.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• hypothesize 
• postulate 
• presuppose