premise

Where does the word "premise" come from? It comes from Latin praemittere, and was adopted directly into English (1300s).

Premise’s story begins in Latin: praemittere meant “to send before, to state beforehand.” To send before, from prae- (before) and mittere (to send). It reached English by 1300s as premise. Settled as the English word for a statement assumed true as a basis for argument. Today, premise means a statement or assumption taken as the basis for an argument or conclusion.

1. Stage 1 · Latin · ancient praemittere "to send before, to state beforehand", to send before, from prae- (before) and mittere (to send).
2. Stage 2 · English · 1300s premise "a statement assumed true as a basis for reasoning", settled as the English word for a statement assumed true as a basis for argument.