presumptive
/pɹiˈzʌm(p)tɪv/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.82 in modern English
20
Scrabble Score
11
Letters
3
Syllables
9
Unique Chars
Meaning
adj
Based on presumption or conjecture; inferred, likely, presumed.
adj
Based on presumption or conjecture; inferred, likely, presumed.
adj
Based on presumption or conjecture; inferred, likely, presumed.
adj
Synonym of presumptuous (“making unwarranted presumptions or assumptions, often out of arrogance or excessive self-confidence, and thus exceeding what is appropriate or right”).
adj
Chiefly in presumptive evidence: providing a reasonable basis for a certain presumption or conclusion to be drawn.
Example Sentences
- "By late May, he was already considered his party’s presumptive nominee."
- "Hovv delightfully vvould your time have been taken up vvith the appeals of ſcolding vvives, forſaken damſels and vvitches preſumptive!"
- "It's a beautiful point of presumptive murder, and there's been nane like it in the Justiciar Court since the case of Luckie Smith the howdie, that suffered in the year saxteen hundred and seventy-nine."
- "The Queen’s younger brother was the heir presumptive to the throne, until she gave birth to her first child."
- "[B]y lavv no inheritance can veſt, nor can any perſon be the actual complete heir of another, till the anceſtor is previouſly dead. Nemo eſt haeres viventis [No one is the heir of the living]. Before that time the perſon vvho is next in the line of ſucceſſion is called an heir apparent, or heir preſumptive. […] Heirs preſumptive are ſuch, vvho, if the anceſtor ſhould die immediately, vvould in the preſent circumſtances of things be the heirs; but vvhoſe right of inheritance may be defeated by the contingency of ſome nearer heir being born: as a brother, or nephevv, vvhoſe preſumptive ſucceſſion may be deſtroyed by the birth of a child; or a daugher, vvhoſe preſent hopes may be hereafter cut off by the birth of a ſon. Nay, even if the eſtate hath deſcended, by the death of the ovvner, to ſuch brother, or nephevv, or daughter; in the former caſes the eſtate ſhall be deveſted and taken avvay by the birth of a poſthumous child; and, in the latter, it ſhall alſo be totally deveſted by the birth of a poſthumous ſon."
- "Forgive me for being presumptive, but aren’t you and Mark engaged?"
Etymology
PIE word *upó From pre- + Latin sūmptus + -ive, from Late Middle English presumptif, presumptijf (“based on presumption”), from Anglo-Norman presumptif and Middle French presumptif, présomptif (“based on presumption; of an heir or heiress: presumed to be entitled to inherit unless someone with a superior entitlement is born; presumptuous”) (modern French présomptif), and directly from their etymon Late Latin praesumptivus (“based on presumption; bold; insolent”), from Latin praesūmptus (“presumed”) + -īvus (suffix forming adjectives). Praesūmptus is the perfect passive participle of praesūmō (“to presume”), from prae- (prefix meaning ‘before; in front’) + sūmō (“to seize, take; to accept, presuppose; to undertake”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₁em- (“to distribute; to take”)).
Origin
- Source language: Latin
Word Breakdown
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /pɹiˈzʌm(p)tɪv/
- British English: /pɹɪˈzʌm(p)tɪv/
Inflected Forms
more presumptive (comparative)
most presumptive (superlative)