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

Moves of species susceptible to bluetongue on or off premises within the TCZ are prohibited while officials carry out further investigations.

From BBC

After an officer tries to escort her off the premises, Norma Rae defiantly stands on a workstation in protest and holds up a sign.

From The Wall Street Journal

"We would ask people to be vigilant of anyone seen hanging around businesses or retail premises during the early hours of the morning."

From BBC

But its tradition-steeped premises have often seemed detached from changes to the world outside.

From The Wall Street Journal

But when she’s not signing books for her faithful readers, Carol glumly disparages her jackpot premise as if it’s a badly written “Star Trek” episode.

From Salon

Related Words

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