premise

American  

[prem-is] / ˈprɛm ɪs /

noun

1. Logic. Also premiss. a proposition supporting or helping to support a conclusion.

   Synonyms:

   postulate, assumption

2. premises,

   1. a tract of land including its buildings.

   2. a building together with its grounds or other appurtenances.

   3. the property forming the subject of a conveyance or bequest.

3. Law.

   1. a basis, stated or assumed, on which reasoning proceeds.

   2. an earlier statement in a document.

   3. (in a bill in equity) the statement of facts upon which the complaint is based.

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verb (used with object)

premised, premising

1. to set forth beforehand, as by way of introduction or explanation.

2. to assume, either explicitly or implicitly, (a proposition) as a premise for a conclusion.

   Synonyms:

   hypothesize, postulate

verb (used without object)

premised, premising

1. to state or assume a premise.

premise British  

noun

1. Also: premiss.  logic a statement that is assumed to be true for the purpose of an argument from which a conclusion is drawn

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verb

1. (when tr, may take a clause as object) to state or assume (a proposition) as a premise in an argument, theory, etc

Other Word Forms

• repremise verb

Etymology

Origin of premise

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English premiss, from Medieval Latin praemissa, noun use of feminine of Latin praemissus, past participle of praemittere “to send before,” equivalent to prae- “before, in front, ahead,” + mittere “to send”; pre-

Example Sentences

"This is not a decision we've taken lightly," said a Crown Estate spokesman about not renewing the lease and removing the restaurant from its current premises.

From BBC

"Once they are on school premises they don't need a phone, because if there's an emergency there is a reception that I can be contacted from," she says.

From BBC

O'Donnell has been told she has to vacate the premises by 31 January this year.

From BBC

Readers of Kafka’s era were struck by the outlandish, surreal premise, but one of its most arresting aspects is how true-to-life the Samsa family’s responses to Gregor’s condition seem.

From The Wall Street Journal

The debut novel from Van Jensen, a veteran comic-book writer, develops this unusual premise in a surprisingly pedestrian way.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• assertion
• assumption
• basis
• ground
• presumption
• proposition
• thesis