presume

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See also: présumé and présume

English

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Alternative forms

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Etymology

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From Middle English presumen, from Anglo-Norman presumer and its source, Latin praesūmere (to take beforehand, anticipate), from prae- + sūmere (to take).

Pronunciation

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Verb

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presume (third-person singular simple present presumes, present participle presuming, simple past and past participle presumed)

  1. (transitive) With infinitive object: to be so presumptuous as (to do something) without proper authority or permission. [from 14th c.]
    I wouldn't presume to tell him how to do his job.
    • 1982 August 21, Sylvia Barren, “Women and the IGA: A History of Struggle”, in Gay Community News, volume 10, number 6, page 3:
      There were no women at the birth of the International Gay Association in Coventry, England in 1978. The men there decided they would like lesbians to join; they would not presume to formulate aims for them but would adjust the organization if and when women joined it.
  2. (transitive, now rare) To perform, do (something) without authority; to lay claim to without permission. [from 14th c.]
    Don't make the decision yourself and presume too much.
  3. (transitive) To assume or suggest to be true (without proof); to take for granted, to suppose. [from 14th c.]
    Paw-prints in the snow allow us to presume a visit from next door's cat.
    Dr. Livingstone, I presume?
  4. (transitive) To take as a premise; to assume for the sake of argument.
    • 2011 February 5, John Patterson, The Guardian:
      If we presume that human cloning may one day become a mundane, everyday reality, then maybe it's time to start thinking more positively about our soon-to-arrive genetically engineered pseudo-siblings.
  5. (intransitive) To impose (on) for one's advantage; to be presumptuous; with on, upon, to take advantage (of), to take liberties (with). [from 15th c.]
    Thanks, but I can't accept the money; I would not want to presume on the generosity of a stranger.

Synonyms

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Translations

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The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Anagrams

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Italian

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Verb

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presume

  1. third-person singular present indicative of presumere

Anagrams

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Portuguese

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Verb

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presume

  1. inflection of presumir:
    1. third-person singular present indicative
    2. second-person singular imperative

Spanish

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Verb

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presume

  1. inflection of presumir:
    1. third-person singular present indicative
    2. second-person singular imperative