Premise (n.) a statement or idea that forms the basis for a theory, argument, or investigation. In everyday use, it also refers to the initial assumption or starting point from which reasoning proceeds. The term is common in formal writing, legal contexts, and structured discussions, serving as the foundational proposition for further analysis.
"The premise of the research is that early exposure improves learning outcomes."
"If we accept the premise that all people are equal, we must treat policy decisions with fairness."
"The detective's theory rests on the premise that the suspect had access to the crime scene."
"The class debated whether the movie’s premise was plausible given its sci‑fi setting."
Premise comes from the Latin praemissa, meaning “things sent before” or “things put before.” It is built from pre- ‘before’ + mittere ‘to send’ (the same root family as remit, remit?). The term entered English via Late Latin in scholastic and legal contexts to denote an assumed proposition on which an argument proceeds. In medieval and early modern logic, a premise was literally a proposition laid before the intellect as a basis for inference. Over time, its semantic range broadened beyond formal logic to general use, where it denotes the underlying assumption or initial proposition upon which a theory, argument, or plan rests. The phrase “premises” (plural) originally referred to property or grounds that are set before a statement, evolving into the sense of the location or basis from which reasoning occurs. Its earliest English usages can be traced to legal and philosophical writings that discuss premises as the starting points of deduction and argument. Modern usage has retained that core sense, applying it widely in academic, business, and everyday discourse as the ‘given’ that supports conclusions.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "Premise" and can often be used interchangeably.
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Words that rhyme with "Premise"
-ise sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
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Pronounce it PREH-miss: IPA US/UK/AU /ˈprɛmɪs/. The primary stress sits on the first syllable. Start with a mid-open front vowel / ɛ / as in ‘bed,’ then a short, lax /ɪ/ in the second syllable. The ending is a light /s/ rather than /z/ when used as a noun. You’ll feel the tongue rise slightly for /r/ and then relax into /ɛm/ before the final /ɪs/. For nuance, make sure the initial /pr/ cluster is tight and the following /ɛm/ is clear. Audio reference: try listening to native speakers saying “premise” and align your vowel lengths to the brief, clipped second syllable.
Common mistakes: 1) Slurring /s/ into the previous consonant making /prɛmɪz/ instead of /ˈprɛmɪs/; rehearse with a clean /s/ ending. 2) Misplacing stress on the second syllable, saying /prəˈmiːs/ or /ˈʊpremɪs/; practice placing primary stress on PRE. 3) Tensing the vowel in the second syllable, producing /ʌ/ or a longer /iː/; aim for a short /ɪ/ as in ‘kit.’ Corrections: isolate the syllables: PRE-mis, with crisp /s/ and a relaxed /ɪ/.
Across accents, the main differences are rhotics and vowel quality. In US and AU non-rhotic tendencies (R-coloring minimal in adjacent syllables), but /ˈprɛmɪs/ remains. UK speakers often keep a sharper /ɛ/ and may slightly reduce the /ɪ/ to a shorter vowel in fast speech. AU tends to be similar to US in rhoticity but can exhibit more centralized vowel qualities in relaxed speech. The final /s/ remains voiceless; avoid turning it into /z/ in careful speech.
Because the initial cluster /pr/ combines with a short, lax /ɛ/ followed by a quick /m/ and a final voiceless /s/, the balance requires precise articulation. The challenge is maintaining a crisp /m/ release while avoiding a prolonged /ɪ/ in the second syllable. Also, the final /s/ should be unvoiced; sometimes speakers insert a voiced /z/ if not careful, which changes the meaning in some contexts. Focus on the clean stop after /m/ and a short second syllable.
The word has a trochaic structure with strong-weak stress on the first syllable; you’ll hear a quick transition from /pr/ to /ɛm/ that shapes the rhythm of the word. The need to maintain a light, crisp /s/ at the end requires precise tongue edge contact. Additionally, the consonant cluster /pr/ can be challenging for non-native speakers who articulate each sound separately; practice blending without losing the short, clipped second syllable.
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