definitions

postulate

[ verb pos-chuh-leyt; noun pos-chuh-lit, -leyt ]
/ verb ˈpɒs tʃəˌleɪt; noun ˈpɒs tʃə lɪt, -ˌleɪt /
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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR postulate ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object), pos·tu·lat·ed, pos·tu·lat·ing.

noun

RELATED WORDS

shot, hunch, supposition, thesis, inference, theory, presumption, guess, acceptance, suspicion, postulate, surmise, conjecture, belief, expectation, hypothesis, fancy, premise, presupposition, posit

Nearby words

posttraumatic stress disorder, posttraumatic syndrome, posttyphoid, postulancy, postulant, postulate, postulator, postural, postural contraction, postural drainage, postural position

Origin of postulate

1525–35; < Latin postulātum petition, thing requested, noun use of neuter of past participle of postulāre to request, demand, akin to pōscere to request

Related forms

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for postulation

British Dictionary definitions for postulation

postulate

verb (ˈpɒstjʊˌleɪt) (tr; may take a clause as object)

to assume to be true or existent; take for granted
to ask, demand, or claim
to nominate (a person) to a post or office subject to approval by a higher authority

noun (ˈpɒstjʊlɪt)

Derived Forms

postulation, noun

Word Origin for postulate

C16: from Latin postulāre to ask for, require; related to pōscere to request
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

Medicine definitions for postulation

postulate

[ pŏs′chə-lāt′ ]

v.

To assume or assert the truth or necessity of, especially as a basis of an argument.

n.

An unproved assertion or assumption, especially a statement offered as the basis of a theory.

Related forms

pos′tu•la′tion n.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.

Science definitions for postulation

postulate

[ pŏs′chə-lĭt ]

See axiom.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Culture definitions for postulation

postulate

A statement accepted as true for the purposes of argument or scientific investigation; also, a basic principle. (See axiom.)

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.