Assumption

How to spell assumption

10 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce assumption

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does assumption mean?

1. nounSomething accepted as true or certain without proof.
2. nounThe act of taking on a duty, office, or responsibility.

Assumption in a sentence

• The entire budget rested on the assumption that sales would keep rising.

• His assumption of the chairmanship was announced at the annual meeting.

• Her assumption that the meeting started at nine made her arrive an hour late.

• The contract sets out the buyer's assumption of all outstanding debts.

Where does assumption come from?

Language of origin: Latin

The word comes from the Latin assumptio, a noun meaning 'a taking up' or 'a receiving', formed from the verb assumere. That verb joins ad, meaning 'to' or 'up', with sumere, meaning 'to take', so its literal sense was simply 'to take to oneself'. English borrowed it through Old French in the 1300s, at first in a religious sense referring to the bodily taking up of the Virgin Mary into heaven, an event still called the Assumption. From the idea of taking something up came two practical modern meanings: the taking on of a duty or office, and the mental act of taking a thing for granted as true. The same sumere root sits inside relatives like 'consume', 'resume', and 'presume', and the buried p of that family explains the silent-feeling -mption spelling that trips writers up.

How the word is built

• as- (assimilated form of ad-, meaning 'to' or 'up')
• sump (from Latin sumere, 'to take')
• -tion (noun-forming suffix)