assumption
something taken for granted; a supposition: a correct assumption.
the act of taking for granted or supposing.
the act of taking to or upon oneself.
the act of taking possession of something: the assumption of power.
the taking over of another's debts or obligations.
Ecclesiastical.
(often initial capital letter) the bodily taking up into heaven of the Virgin Mary.
(initial capital letter) a feast commemorating this, celebrated on August 15.
Logic. the minor premise of a syllogism.
Origin of assumption
1word story For assumption
assumption has been in the language since the 13th century, and was initially confined to a specific ecclesiastical meaning in the Catholic Church. The Latin word on which it is based literally means “the action of being taken up or received,” and in English assumption referred to the taking up into heaven of the Virgin Mary. That meaning still exists today, and in all the meanings it has assumed since then, one can see the common thread running through them is the sense of taking.
One early sense meant “arrogance,” as in this 1814 quote from Sir Walter Scott: “his usual air of haughty assumption.” Arrogance is a taking upon oneself a conviction of self-importance. Later senses arose having to do with the taking on of power or other responsibilities, as in “the assumption of command.”
Probably the most common meaning of assumption in use today is for indicating a supposition, an estimate, a conjecture—that is, something taken for granted. And as any schoolkid knows, presuming to assume can be dangerous, leading us to make, as the saying goes, “an ASS of U and ME!”
popular references For assumption
—Assumption persona: A persona is a detailed description of a fictional user (of a product, software program, etc.), based on real-world data. Software engineers and data companies create personas as user models to help build their products. In order to illustrate the utility of using data-driven personas in design, “assumption personas” (personas derived from existing assumptions about users) are used as negative examples showing how assumptions can lead to bad design choices.
—Assumption of risk: the name for a defense used in tort law, where the defense argues that the plaintiff took action knowing the risks involved.
Other words for assumption
1 | presupposition; hypothesis; conjecture, guess; postulate, theory |
2 | presumption; presupposition |
3 | acceptance, shouldering |
4 | seizure, appropriation, usurpation, arrogation |
5 | presumptuousness; effrontery, forwardness, gall |
Other words from assumption
- mis·as·sump·tion, noun
- non·as·sump·tion, noun
- o·ver·as·sump·tion, noun
- pre·as·sump·tion, noun
- re·as·sump·tion, noun
- self-as·sump·tion, noun
- su·per·as·sump·tion, noun
Words that may be confused with assumption
- assumption , axiom, premise, presumption
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
British Dictionary definitions for assumption (1 of 2)
/ (əˈsʌmpʃən) /
the act of taking something for granted or something that is taken for granted
an assuming of power or possession of something
arrogance; presumption
logic a statement that is used as the premise of a particular argument but may not be otherwise accepted: Compare axiom (def. 4)
Origin of assumption
1Derived forms of assumption
- assumptive, adjective
- assumptively, adverb
British Dictionary definitions for Assumption (2 of 2)
/ (əˈsʌmpʃən) /
the taking up of the Virgin Mary (body and soul) into heaven when her earthly life was ended
the feast commemorating this, celebrated by Roman Catholics on Aug 15
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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