| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000. |
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| SYLLABICATION: | pre·sume |
| PRONUNCIATION: |  pr -z m |
| VERB: | Inflected forms: pre·sumed, pre·sum·ing, pre·sumes
| | TRANSITIVE VERB: | 1. To take for granted as being true in the absence of proof to the contrary: We presumed she was innocent. 2. To constitute reasonable evidence for assuming; appear to prove: A signed hotel bill presumes occupancy of a room. 3. To venture without authority or permission; dare: He presumed to invite himself to dinner. | | INTRANSITIVE VERB: | 1. To act overconfidently; take liberties. 2. To take unwarranted advantage of something; go beyond the proper limits: Don't presume on their hospitality. 3. To take for granted that something is true or factual; suppose: That's the new assistant, I presume. | | ETYMOLOGY: | Middle English presumen, from Old French presumer, from Late Latin praes mere, from Latin, to anticipate : prae-, pre- + smere, to take; see em- in Appendix I. | | OTHER FORMS: | pre·sumed·ly (-zmd-l ) —ADVERB
pre·sumer —NOUN
| | SYNONYMS: | presume, presuppose, postulate, posit, assume These verbs signify to take something for granted or as being a fact. To presume is to suppose that something is reasonable or possible in the absence of proof to the contrary: “I presume you're tired after the long ride” (Edith Wharton). Presuppose can mean to believe or suppose in advance: It is unrealistic to presuppose a sophisticated knowledge of harmony in a beginning music student. Postulate and posit denote the assertion of the existence, reality, necessity, or truth of something as the basis for reasoning or argument: “We can see individuals, but we can't see providence; we have to postulate it” (Aldous Huxley). To assume is to accept something as existing or being true without proof or on inconclusive grounds: “We must never assume that which is incapable of proof” (G.H. Lewes).
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| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by the Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. |
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