When you hear the word presume, maybe you think of Henry Stanley asking "Dr. Livingstone, I presume?" (Meaning "You're Dr. Livingstone, right?")

Or maybe you think of J. Alfred Prufrock asking "How should I presume?" (Meaning "How should I take it upon myself to start a conversation?")

Those are two very different questions, revealing that there are two very different meanings for the word presume. We'll explore them today.

While we're at it, let's also nail down the subtle difference between presume and assume. It has to do with meaning and formality:

—To presume something is to base your guess on some sort of proof or probability, while to assume something is to have, perhaps, less evidence to go on.

—And the word presume is more formal, snobbier even, than assume.

Looking inside both words, presume and assume, we can almost glimpse the Latin emere, meaning "to take, to buy, or to obtain;" which suggests that presuming is, at heart, a taking of something that's placed before you, and assuming is a taking of information to or toward you.

Emere gave us tons of other English words involving taking or getting, some of which very clearly resemble presume and assume: resume, consume, and subsume. Less-obvious relatives include redeem, example, sumptuous, premium, exempt, prompt, ransom, pre-____ ("to prevent something"), and p__empt___ ("harsh and forceful").

(To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.)  

"Presume" has Latin bits that literally mean "to take before," as in "to lay claim to something that's in front of you." We've used it in English since the 1400s, maybe even earlier.

Today, we use two different meanings for "presume." Both are a kind of figurative "taking before" of what's in front of you, either information or actions:

1. To presume some piece of information, to presume that something is true, or to presume that something will happen is to think or guess it, based on evidence or likeliness. (As in "Dr. Livingstone, I presume?")

2. And, to presume to do something is to take it upon yourself to do it, thinking it'll be welcome or appreciated, though perhaps it isn't. (As in "How should I presume [to chat those women up]?")

grammatical bits:

Part of speech:

Verb, usually the transitive kind: "People presume refills are free;" "They presumed that refills would be free;" "They presumed to refill their drinks without paying."

Other forms: 

The other verb forms are "presumed" and "presuming."

The noun is "presumption," and it can be both countable ("Those are some pretty wild presumptions") and uncountable ("That was a lot of wild presumption").

The adjective is "presumptuous," pronounced "pruh ZUMP shoo us." (Hear it.) Its meaning ("too forward, presuming too much") is so different from the base verb that we'll probably explore it later on its own.

And the adverb is "presumably," meaning "reasonably true based on evidence or likeliness," as in "Presumably, you're Dr. Livingstone."

how to use it:

When you need an ultra-formal word for when someone makes reasonable assumptions based on patterns and evidence, pick "presume." Say that someone presumes a fact, presumes that something happened a certain way, or presumes that someone will do something.

Notice how presumptions can be accurate and reasonable ("It's storming; I presume you brought an umbrella"), or wrong and unreasonable ("My seatmate presumed I was interested in conversation, despite my headphones"), or anything in between.

But when someone "presumes to do something," it's almost always annoying and unreasonable. For example: "Surprises are not gifts when they presume to schedule other people's time for them" (Carolyn Hax).

examples:

"I presume that he is rich, although I have never asked him about it."  
  — John Steinbeck, Travels with Charley in Search of America, 1962

"How could anyone presume to know the world through the eyes of an insect?"
  — Ian McEwan, Atonement, 20011

has this page helped you understand "presume"?

Awesome, I'm glad it helped!

Thanks for letting me know!
If you have any questions about this term, please message me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com.

study it:

Explain the two meanings of "presume" without saying "put two and two together" or "take the liberty of."

try it out:

Check out this example from Patrick Rothfuss's novel The Name of the Wind:

"You should tell her," Simmon said. "If you like a girl you have to let her know."

"How's that working out for you so far?" I said, irritated that Sim of all people would presume to give me relationship advice.

With this in mind as an example, talk about a time you were irritated that someone presumed to do something. Maybe someone presumed to give you advice, presumed to speak for you, presumed to make a decision on your behalf, or presumed to use something of yours without asking.

If you like, use this space to write. (To save your work, copy and paste it into an email or a document.)

before you review, play:

Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out.

Our game this month is Slide Into The Title: Elton John Edition! 

Have you noticed how pop songs tend to use rhyme, rhythm, and semantics to guide you straight into singing the correct title, even if you've never heard it before? I love that, how the title clicks into place. See if you can slide into a complete title, given a snippet of lyrics.

Here's an example:

"But I see hope in every cloud,
And I'm thankful, thankful,
I'm thankful, so thankful,
I'm thankful I've got all that I'm _______."

Here, you'd figure out that the title is "All That I'm Allowed."

Try this one today:

"Slow down, Joe, I'm a rock and roll man.
I've twiddled my thumbs in a dozen odd bands.
And you ain't seen nothing till you've been
In a motel, baby, like the Holiday ___."

To see the answer, scroll all the way down.

review this word:

1. Opposites of PRESUME include

A. UNPACK and REHASH.
B. INCLUDE and ABSORB.
C. QUESTION and REFRAIN FROM.

2. The "presumption of innocence" is the principle that _____.

A. someone accused of a crime is thought of as innocent unless proven otherwise
B. DNA testing should be used to clear the good name of innocent people and free them from jail
C. the main character in a story can grow emotionally only by allowing their innocence to be shattered

Answers to the review questions: 1. C 2. A From the game: That song is "Holiday Inn."

a final word:

I hope you're enjoying Make Your Point. It's made with love. I'm Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words. From my blog: On vocabulary...       36 ways to study words.       Why we forget words, & how to remember them.       How to use sophisticated words without being awkward. On writing...       How to improve any sentence.       How to motivate our kids to write.       How to stop procrastinating and start writing.       How to bulk up your writing when you have to meet a word count. From my heart: a profound thanks to the generous patrons, donors, and sponsors that make it possible for me to write these emails. If you'd like to be a patron or a donor, please click here. If you'd like to be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com. A disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes.