premise

[prem-is]

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.

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

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

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of premise¹

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-

Word History and Origins

Origin of premise¹

C14: from Old French prémisse, from Medieval Latin praemissa sent on before, from Latin praemittere to dispatch in advance, from prae before + mittere to send

Example Sentences

That strategy, known as the debasement trade, is premised on the view that the U.S. dollar’s value is poised to deteriorate, prompting investors to rely on gold as an alternative asset.

Read more on MarketWatch

This circles back to the original premise of Friendly’s original TV seminars and “Breaking the Deadlock,” asking us to think about what we owe our neighbors and communities.

Read more on Salon

Asked if he left the hotel premises on the day, Mr Majek agreed that he had gone to buy beer, before it got dark.

Read more on BBC

Other details revealed in the lease include clauses specifying that no helicopters are able to land there, and no gambling is allowed on the premises.

Read more on BBC

The premise was simple: To fund renovations and attract more students, they needed to stop offering such hefty discounts.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

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