Nearby Words

surmise

[v. ser-mahyz; n. ser-mahyz, sur-mahyz] Origin

sur·mise

[v. ser-mahyz; n. ser-mahyz, sur-mahyz] verb, -mised, -mis·ing, noun
verb (used with object)
1.
to think or infer without certain or strong evidence; conjecture; guess.
verb (used without object)
2.
to conjecture or guess.

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Surmise is an SAT word you need to know.
So is evanescent. Does it mean:
the act or process of falling into an inferior condition or state; moral degeneration or decay; unrestrained or excessive self-indulgence
fleeting
noun
3.
a matter of conjecture.
4.
an idea or thought of something as being possible or likely.
5.
a conjecture or opinion.

Origin:
1350–1400; Middle English surmisen < Anglo-French surmis(e), Middle French (past participle of surmettre to accuse < Latin supermittere to throw upon), equivalent to sur- sur-1 + mis (masculine), mise (feminine) < Latin missus, missa, equivalent to mit(tere) to send + -tus, -ta past participle suffix

sur·mis·a·ble, adjective
sur·mised·ly [ser-mahyzd-lee, -mahy-zid-] , adverb
sur·mis·er, noun
un·sur·mised, adjective
un·sur·mis·ing, adjective


1. imagine, suppose, suspect. See guess.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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World English Dictionary
surmise
 
vb
1.  (when tr, may take a clause as object) to infer (something) from incomplete or uncertain evidence
 
n
2.  an idea inferred from inconclusive evidence
 
[C15: from Old French, from surmettre to accuse, from Latin supermittere to throw over, from super- + mittere to send]
 
sur'misable
 
adj
 
sur'miser
 
n

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
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Word Origin & History

surmise
c.1400, "to charge, allege," from O.Fr. surmis, pp. of surmettre "to accuse," from sur- "upon" + mettre "put," from L. mittere "to send" (see mission). Meaning "to infer conjecturally" is recorded from 1700. The noun meaning "inference, guess" is first found in Eng. 1590;
EXPAND
earlier it was a legal term meaning "formal allegation" (1451).
COLLAPSE
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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