Presume

How to spell presume

7 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce presume

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does presume mean?

1. verbTo suppose that something is true based on probability rather than proof.

Presume in a sentence

• I presume the meeting will start on time unless someone says otherwise.

• The bank will presume the account is dormant after a year of no activity.

Where does presume come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This verb descends from the Latin praesumere, which literally meant 'to take beforehand' or 'to anticipate', formed from prae 'before' and sumere 'to take'. In classical use it carried the idea of seizing or assuming something in advance, and over time it shifted toward 'to take for granted' or 'to suppose without proof'. English adopted it through Old French in the 1300s, where it already carried both the neutral sense of supposing something likely and the bolder sense of acting too boldly or overstepping. That second strand survives in the related words 'presumptuous' and 'presumption', which share the same sumere root. The spelling trap is that the 's' is pronounced like a 'z', tempting writers toward a 'z', and the silent-feeling '-ume' ending must keep its 'u' even though the sound is closer to 'oom'.

How the word is built

• pre- (before)
• sume (from Latin sumere: to take)