presuppose

American  

[pree-suh-pohz] / ˌpri səˈpoʊz /

verb (used with object)

presupposed, presupposing

1. to suppose or assume beforehand; take for granted in advance.

   Synonyms:

   presume

2. (of a thing, condition, or state of affairs) to require or imply as an antecedent condition.

   An effect presupposes a cause.

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presuppose British  

/ ˌpriːsəˈpəʊz, ˌpriːsʌpəˈzɪʃən /

verb

1. to take for granted; assume

2. to require or imply as a necessary prior condition

3. philosophy logic linguistics to require (a condition) to be satisfied as a precondition for a statement to be either true or false or for a speech act to be felicitous. Have you stopped beating your wife? presupposes that the person addressed has a wife and has beaten her

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Other Word Forms

• presupposition
  noun

Etymology

Origin of presuppose

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English, from Middle French presupposer; see pre-, suppose

Explanation

To presuppose is to take something as a given; presupposing is like assuming. When you suppose something is true, you assume it's true; to presuppose means something similar. The pre — which means "before" — is a reminder that what you're assuming is background or pretext for something else. Asking “Want soup?” presupposes someone is hungry. Asking a woman "When is the baby due?" presupposes that she’s pregnant. Presupposing can be dangerous: if your presuppositions are incorrect, you could jump to the wrong conclusion.

Example Sentences

Presuppose, prē-sup-pōz′, v.t. to suppose before actual knowledge: to assume or take for granted.—n.

From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 3 of 4: N-R) by Various

Related Words

• infer
• posit