premise
premise Lexical Profile
premise Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A previous statement, proposition, or assumption from which another is inferred or follows as a conclusion.
"The entire argument rests on the flawed premise that consumers always make purely rational choices."
A house or building, together with its land and outbuildings, especially when occupied by a business or considered in an official or legal context (used in the plural form "premises").
"The company is looking to lease larger commercial premises near the city center."
The central concept, situational setup, or foundational idea that drives the plot of a book, film, or television show.
"The novel has an intriguing premise about a historian who discovers a secret library beneath the city."
• verb
To base an argument, theory, or action on a particular underlying statement or assumption (usually used in the passive voice with "on" or "upon").
"The new economic policy is premised on the expectation that inflation will stabilize by autumn."
To state or introduce a proposition beforehand as a foundational assumption for a subsequent argument.
"Before examining the case studies, the author premises a few basic principles of constitutional law."
Word Nuance & Usage
In the plural form "premises," the word frequently refers to a building and its surrounding land (e.g., "No smoking on the premises"), whereas the singular "premise" is reserved for a logical assumption or proposition.
Word Origin & Etymology
From Middle English "premiss," via Old French from Medieval Latin "praemissa" (meaning "a proposition set before"), originally the feminine past participle of Latin "praemittere" ("to send or put before"). The real-estate sense of "premises" arose from legal documents where the property being transferred was referred back to as "the aforesaid" or "the premises."