Dictionary.com

premise

[ prem-is ]
/ ˈprɛm ɪs /
Save This Word!
See synonyms for: premise / premised / premises on Thesaurus.com

noun
Also premiss. Logic. a proposition supporting or helping to support a conclusion.
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.
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), prem·ised, prem·is·ing.
to set forth beforehand, as by way of introduction or explanation.
to assume, either explicitly or implicitly, (a proposition) as a premise for a conclusion.
verb (used without object), prem·ised, prem·is·ing.
to state or assume a premise.
QUIZ
ALL IN FAVO(U)R OF THIS BRITISH VS. AMERICAN ENGLISH QUIZ
There's an ocean of difference between the way people speak English in the US vs. the UK. Are your language skills up to the task of telling the difference? Let's find out!
Question 1 of 7
True or false? British English and American English are only different when it comes to slang words.

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”; see pre-

historical usage of premise

The noun premise (also spelled premiss ) entered English in the late 14th century, originally as a term used in logic to mean “each of the two propositions in a syllogism from which the conclusion is drawn,” ultimately from the Latin phrase prōpositiō praemissa “proposition (in a syllogism) set forth beforehand.” Praemissa in this sense is a feminine singular adjective modifying the feminine singular noun prōpositiō. Praemissa is also a neuter plural past participle used as a noun meaning “matters discussed or mentioned previously” in legal documents, contracts, and wills.
By the second half of the 15th century, premiss acquired the further meaning “houses, buildings and lands previously specified in a deed,” as on a sign prominently displayed above a bar “Licensed to retail beer, wine, spirits, and tobacco to be consumed on the premises.”

OTHER WORDS FROM premise

re·prem·ise, verb, re·prem·ised, re·prem·is·ing.

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH premise

assumption, axiom, premise , presumption
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use premise in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for premise

premise

noun (ˈprɛmɪs)
Also: premiss logic a statement that is assumed to be true for the purpose of an argument from which a conclusion is drawn
verb (prɪˈmaɪz, ˈprɛmɪs)
(when tr, may take a clause as object) to state or assume (a proposition) as a premise in an argument, theory, etc

Word Origin for premise

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
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
FEEDBACK