Presumably

How to spell presumably

10 letters · 4 syllables

How to pronounce presumably

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does presumably mean?

1. adverbUsed to convey that something is probable or reasonable to assume, though not confirmed.

Presumably in a sentence

• The office is dark, so everyone has presumably gone home for the evening.

• The parcel was signed for, so it has presumably been delivered to the right address.

Where does presumably come from?

Language of origin: Latin

The word ultimately comes from the Latin verb praesumere, meaning 'to take beforehand' or 'to anticipate', built from prae 'before' and sumere 'to take up'. In later Latin and in legal use the sense shifted toward taking something for granted in advance, which is how 'presume' came to mean assuming something to be true without proof. English borrowed 'presume' through Old French in the 1300s, and the adjective 'presumable' (something that may reasonably be supposed) followed. The adverb 'presumably' was formed by adding the familiar -ly ending, and it settled into use by the 1600s to mark a statement as a reasonable assumption rather than a certainty. The spelling trap lives in the middle: the -sum- comes straight from sumere 'to take', and the ending is -ably, not -ibly, which catches many writers off guard.

How the word is built

• pre- (before)
• sum (from sumere: to take)
• -able (capable of)
• -ly (adverb suffix)