premise
Definitions
A statement taken to be true and used as the basis of an argument
前提，假定
A building together with its land and surroundings (usually plural: premises)
房屋及周边场地（常用复数 premises）
Root Breakdown
Root-derivedpre- (before) + mise (sent/put, from missus) = "put before, set down first." A premise is a statement put first, before the reasoning that follows. The "building" sense comes from legal documents where the property was "the aforesaid premises" — the things set down earlier in the deed.
Root miss still carries 88 more wordsWhy It Means This
Premise looks unrelated to mission, but the mise spelling is the same miss root (missus, "put/sent"). pre- + put = "put before." In logic, the premises come before the conclusion. The plural "premises" meaning a property is a quirk of old legal English, where it referred to things stated earlier in a document.
Common Collocations
- 1.false premise错误前提
- 2.on the premises在场所内
- 3.underlying premise基本假设
- 4.basic premise基本前提
Example Sentences
- 1.
The whole argument rests on a false premise.
- 2.
Smoking is not allowed anywhere on the premises.