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Definition of presupposition noun from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

presupposition

noun
 
/ˌpriːsʌpəˈzɪʃn/
 
/ˌpriːsʌpəˈzɪʃn/
[countable, uncountable] (formal)
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  1. something that you believe to be true and use as the beginning of an argument even though it has not been proved; the act of believing it is true synonym assumption
    • theories based on presupposition and coincidence
    Extra Examples
    • Try to clear your mind of any presuppositions.
    • Your presuppositions are quite wrong.
    Topics Opinion and argumentc2
    Word Originmid 16th cent.: from medieval Latin praesuppositio(n-), from the verb praesupponere, from prae ‘before’ + supponere ‘place under’ (from sub- ‘from below’ + ponere ‘to place’).
See presupposition in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee presupposition in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic English
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