proposition

See also: Proposition

English

Etymology

From Middle English proposicioun, from Old French proposicion, from (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Latin prōpositiōnem (“a proposing, design, theme, case”), from the verb prōpositiō.

Pronunciation

• (US) enPR: präp'ə-zĭshʹən IPA^(key): /ˌpɹɑpəˈzɪʃən/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɪʃən
• Hyphenation: prop‧o‧si‧tion

Noun

proposition (countable and uncountable, plural propositions)

1. (uncountable) The act of offering (an idea) for consideration.
2. (countable) An idea or a plan offered.
   • 1898, Winston Churchill, chapter 8, in The Celebrity:

     The humor of my proposition appealed more strongly to Miss Trevor than I had looked for, and from that time forward she became her old self again; for, even after she had conquered her love for the Celebrity, the mortification of having been jilted by him remained.

3. (countable, business settings) The terms of a transaction offered.
4. (countable, US, politics) In some states, a proposed statute or constitutional amendment to be voted on by the electorate.
5. (grammar) A complete sentence.
   • (Can we date this quote?), The Popular Educator: a Complete Encyclopaedia of Elementary, Advanced, and Technical Education. New and Revised Edition. Volume I., p.98:

     Our English nouns remain unchanged, whether they form the subject or the object of a proposition.

6. (countable, logic) The content of an assertion that may be taken as being true or false and is considered abstractly without reference to the linguistic sentence that constitutes the assertion; (Aristotelian logic) a predicate of a subject that is denied or affirmed and connected by a copula.

   “'Wiktionary is a good dictionary' is a proposition” is a proposition.

7. (countable, mathematics) An assertion so formulated that it can be considered true or false.
8. (countable, mathematics) An assertion which is provably true, but not important enough to be called a theorem.
9. A statement of religious doctrine; an article of faith; creed.

   the propositions of Wyclif and Huss

   • (Can we date this quote by Jeremy Taylor and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)

     Some persons […] change their propositions according as their temporal necessities or advantages do turn.

10. (poetry) The part of a poem in which the author states the subject or matter of it.

Synonyms

• (act of offering an idea for consideration): proposal, suggestion
• (idea or plan offered): proposal, suggestion
• (terms offered): proposal
• (content of an assertion): statement
• (proposed statute or constitutional amendment):

Derived terms

• propositional

Translations

uncountable: act of offering for consideration

• Belarusian: прапано́ва f (prapanóva)
• Bulgarian: предложе́ние (bg) n (predložénie)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 建議／建议 (zh) (jiànyì), 建议 (zh) (jiànyì), 提議／提议 (zh) (tíyì), 提议 (zh) (tíyì), 提案 (zh) (tí'àn)

• Czech: navrhování n
• Finnish: esitys (fi), ehdotus (fi)
• Galician: proposición (gl) f
• Greek: πρόταση (el) f (prótasi), θέση (el) f (thési)
• Italian: proposta (it) f
• Japanese: 提案 (ja) (ていあん, teian), 提議 (ja) (ていぎ, teigi)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Korean: 제안 (ko) (jean) (提案 (ko))
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: forslag

• Polish: propozycja (pl) f
• Portuguese: proposição (pt) f
• Romanian: afirmație (ro) f, declarație (ro)
• Russian: предложе́ние (ru) n (predložénije), утвержде́ние (ru) n (utverždénije)
• Spanish: propuesta (es) f
• Ukrainian: пропози́ція (uk) f (propozýcija)
• Vietnamese: kiến nghị (vi), đề án, đề nghị (vi)

idea or plan offered

• Arabic: اِقْتِرَاح m (iqtirāḥ), مُقْتَرَح m (muqtaraḥ)
• Belarusian: прапано́ва f (prapanóva)
• Bulgarian: предложе́ние (bg) n (predložénie)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 建議／建议 (zh) (jiànyì), 建议 (zh) (jiànyì), 提議／提议 (zh) (tíyì), 提议 (zh) (tíyì), 提案 (zh) (tí'àn)

• Czech: návrh (cs) m
• Danish: forslag n
• Dutch: propositie (nl), voorstel (nl) n
• Finnish: esitys (fi), ehdotus (fi)
• French: proposition (fr) f
• Galician: proposición (gl) f
• Greek: πρόταση (el) f (prótasi)
• Ido: propoziciono (io), propozajo (io)
• Italian: proposizione (it) f
• Japanese: 提案 (ja) (ていあん, teian)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Korean: 제안 (ko) (jean)
• Macedonian: предлог m (predlog)
• Norman: proposition f
• Old English: fōresetnes f
• Polish: propozycja (pl) f
• Portuguese: proposição (pt) f, proposta (pt) f
• Romanian: propunere (ro) f, sugestie (ro) f
• Russian: предложе́ние (ru) n (predložénije)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: предлог m, приједлог m

  Roman: predlog m, prijedlog (sh) m

• Slovak: návrh (sk) m
• Slovene: predlog (sl) m
• Spanish: proposición (es) f
• Swedish: förslag (sv) n
• Ukrainian: пропози́ція (uk) f (propozýcija)
• Vietnamese: kiến nghị (vi), đề nghị (vi)

terms of a transaction offered

• Czech: nabídka (cs) f
• Finnish: tarjous (fi)
• Ido: propoziciono (io), propozajo (io)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Italian: proposizione (it) f, proposta (it) f
• Spanish: proposición (es) f

in the US: proposed statute or constitutional amendment

• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}

the abstract contents of a statement, without reference to its formulation

• Greek: δήλωση (el) f (dílosi)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}

math: assertion which can be considered true or false

• Finnish: väite (fi)
• Greek: πρόταση (el) f (prótasi)
• Japanese: 命題 (ja) (めいだい, meidai)
• Polish: zdanie (pl) n
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Portuguese: proposição (pt) f
• Russian: заявле́ние (ru) n (zajavlénije)
• Spanish: proposición (es) f
• Tagalog: palagay

an assertion which is provably true, but not important enough to be a theorem

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 命題／命题 (zh) (mìngtí), 命题 (zh) (mìngtí)

• Czech: věta (cs) f
• Hebrew: טענה f (ta'aná)
• Icelandic: fullyrðing f, yrðing f
• Italian: proposizione logica f
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Japanese: 命題 (ja) (めいだい, meidai)
• Korean: 명제 (ko) (myeongje)
• Polish: stwierdzenie (pl) n
• Russian: утвержде́ние (ru) n (utverždénije)
• Tagalog: palagay
• Vietnamese: mệnh đề (vi)

• Czech: výrok (cs) m
• Danish: dom (da) c
• Dutch: propositie (nl)
• Estonian: propositsioon
• Finnish: propositio (fi)
• French: proposition (fr) f
• German: Satz (de) m
• Hungarian: állítás (hu)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Icelandic: fullyrðing f, yrðing f
• Ido: propoziciono (io)
• Italian: proposizione (it) f
• Japanese: 命題 (ja) (めいだい, meidai)
• Norman: proposition f
• Korean: 명제 (ko) (myeongje)
• Spanish: proposición (es) f

Verb

proposition (third-person singular simple present propositions, present participle propositioning, simple past and past participle propositioned)

1. (transitive, informal) To make a suggestion of sexual intercourse to (someone with whom one is not sexually involved).
2. (transitive, informal) To make an offer or suggestion to (someone).

Related terms

• propose

Translations

make a suggestion of sexual intercourse

• Finnish: ehdottaa (fi)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}

make an offer or suggestion

• Finnish: ehdottaa (fi)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}

Anagrams

• opistoporin

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Finnish

Noun

proposition

1. (deprecated template usage) genitive singular of propositio

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French

Etymology

From (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Latin prōpositiō (“statement, proposition”), from prōpōnō (“propose”), from pōnō (“place; assume”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /pʁɔ.po.zi.sjɔ̃/

• Audio (France)

  (file)

• Homophone: propositions

Noun

proposition f (plural propositions)

1. proposition, suggestion
2. (grammar) proposition
3. (grammar) clause

Further reading

• “proposition”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

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Middle English

Noun

proposition

1. Alternative form of proposicioun

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Norman

Etymology

From (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Latin prōpositiō, prōpositiōnem.

Noun

proposition f (plural propositions)

1. (Jersey) proposition
2. (Jersey, grammar) clause

Derived terms

• proposition prîncipale (“main clause”)
• proposition s'gondaithe (“subordinate clause”)

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Swedish

Noun

proposition c

1. a proposition, a government bill (draft of a law, proposed by the government)

Usage notes

• bills introduced by members of parliament are called motion

Declension

Declension of proposition
	Singular		Plural
	Indefinite	Definite	Indefinite	Definite
Nominative	proposition	propositionen	propositioner	propositionerna
Genitive	propositions	propositionens	propositioners	propositionernas

Related terms

• budgetproposition
• forskningsproposition
• försvarsproposition
• kompletteringsproposition
• kulturproposition
• propositionell
• statsverksproposition