predicate

(prĕd'ĭ-kāt')

v., -cat·ed, -cat·ing, -cates.

v.tr.

1. To base or establish (a statement or action, for example): I predicated my argument on the facts.
2. To state or affirm as an attribute or quality of something: The sermon predicated the perfectibility of humankind.
3. To carry the connotation of; imply.
4. Logic. To make (a term or expression) the predicate of a proposition.
5. To proclaim or assert; declare.

v.intr.
To make a statement or assertion.

n. (-kĭt)

1. Grammar. One of the two main constituents of a sentence or clause, modifying the subject and including the verb, objects, or phrases governed by the verb, as opened the door in Jane opened the door or is very sleepy in The child is very sleepy.
2. Logic. That part of a proposition that is affirmed or denied about the subject. For example, in the proposition We are mortal, mortal is the predicate.

adj. (-kĭt)

1. Grammar. Of or belonging to the predicate of a sentence or clause.
2. Stated or asserted; predicated.

[Late Latin praedicāre, praedicāt-, from Latin, to proclaim : prae-, pre- + dicāre, to proclaim.]

predication pred'i·ca'tion n.
predicational pred'i·ca'tion·al adj.
predicative pred'i·ca'tive adj.
predicatively pred'i·ca'tive·ly adv.

View more Technology videos

Predicate and predict are distantly related but their meanings are distinct. The primary meaning of predict is 'to foretell', whereas the primary use of predicate is followed by on in the meaning 'to found or base (on a principle or assumption)': That's a goal, and it's predicated on some things happening: having elections, having Iraqi security forces and police forces well trained, [etc.]—CNN news transcripts, 2004 [Old English (up to 1150)C]. When base or found would do as well (as in the example given) it is better to use one of them:

☒ The emotion was predicated on one particular hope: that one day the high purposes would be recognized, and the actors justified—A. Wroe, 1991.

Previous:	preciseness, precision, precipitate, precipitous, preciosity, preciousness
Next:	predominantly, predominately, prefer, preferable

In CPU instruction execution, executing all outcomes of a branch in parallel. When the correct branch is finally known, the results of the incorrect branch sequences are discarded. See branch prediction.

Download Computer Desktop Encyclopedia to your PC, iPhone or Android.

verb

To provide a basis for: base¹, build, establish, found, ground, rest¹, root¹, underpin. See over/under.

A predicate is any expression that is capable of connecting with one or more singular terms to make a sentence. A predicate expresses a condition that the entities referred to may satisfy, in which case the resulting sentence will be true. For this reason a predicate may be thought of as a function from things to sentences or even to truth-values. Although modern logic makes a sharp distinction between predicates and terms that stand for things, traditional logic did not. In the theory of the syllogism the subject and predicate terms are thought of as grammatically interchangeable, as ‘All A is B, all B is C, so all A is C’, where the term B is a predicate on its first occurrence, but thought of as a subject on the next. The modern treatment denies that such a form is subject-predicate at all, but sees it as a quantification, involving two predicates: (∀x)Ax → Bx. The letters A, B…, or more usually F, G…, are predicate letters, standing where predicates would stand in sentences when we are considering the logical form of arguments.

(pred-i-kuht)

The part of a sentence that shows what is being said about the subject. The predicate includes the main verb and all its modifiers. In the following sentence, the italicized portion is the predicate: “Olga's dog was the ugliest creature on four legs.”

IN BRIEF: In grammar, the word or words that say something about the action of the subject of a sentence. Also: To base.

Try not to predicate your whole judgment on just one action of the candidate.

Tutor's tip: The predicate which is the part of speech has a short u sound in the last syllable, while the predicate which means to base has a long a in the last syllable.

LearnThatWord.com is a free vocabulary and spelling program where you only pay for results!

For a list of words related to predicate, see:

• Logic - predicate: that which is affirmed or denied concerning subject of proposition
• Grammar and Usage - predicate: that which is said about subject of sentence

---

See words rhyming with "predicate."

This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

Dansk (Danish)
n. - prædikat
v. tr. - udsige
v. intr. - erklære, basere
adj. - prædikativ

Nederlands (Dutch)
gezegde, predikaat, eigenschap, bevestigen, verklaren, baseren op

Français (French)
n. - (Ling, Philos) prédicat
v. tr. - avancer une théorie, (Philos) affirmer (de), fonder (sur), impliquer
v. intr. - avancer une théorie
adj. - (Ling, Philos) prédicatif, (Math) des prédicats

Deutsch (German)
n. - (Ling.) Prädikat
v. - aussagen, gründen
adj. - Prädikats..., ausgesagt, vorausgesagt

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - (γραμμ.) κατηγόρημα, κατηγορούμενο
v. - βεβαιώνω, υποδηλώνω, βασίζω, δηλώνω κατηγορηματικά

Italiano (Italian)
predicato, predicare, affermare

Português (Portuguese)
n. - predicado (m) (Gram.)
v. - predicar

Русский (Russian)
предикат, сказуемое, утверждать

Español (Spanish)
n. - predicado
v. tr. - basar, implicar, afirmar
v. intr. - basar, implicar, afirmar
adj. - del predicado

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - predikat
v. - påstå, utsäga, förkunna, grunda

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
谓语, 述部, 断定为, 意味着, 使基于, 作出论断, 断言, 谓语的, 述部的

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 謂語, 述部
v. tr. - 斷定為, 意味著, 使基於
v. intr. - 作出論斷, 斷言
adj. - 謂語的, 述部的

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 술부, 술어
v. tr. - 단언[단정]하다
v. intr. - 단언[가정]하다
adj. - 술부의

日本語 (Japanese)
v. - 断定する, 属性として断定する, 叙述する, 意味する, 基づかせる, 断言する, 暗示する
n. - 述部, 賓辞

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) مسند, خبر (فعل) ينسب لشيء صفه معينه, يؤكد, يصرح, يعلن‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮נשוא (תחביר), מה שנאמר על נושא המשפט, צירוף פועלי או שמני המשמש כנשוא המשפט‬
v. tr. - ‮קבע, הצהיר או טען משהו הנוגע לנושא המשפט, ביסס (אמירה, פעולה וכו') על, רמז או ייחס ל-‬
v. intr. - ‮טען משהו הנוגע לנושא המשפט, הצהיר, קבע, עשה לנשוא משפט‬
adj. - ‮משתייך לנשוא משפט או פיסקה, נאמר, מוצהר או מוכרז‬

If you are unable to view some languages clearly, click here.

To select your translation preferences click here.