What does "predicate" mean?
Predicate: To found; to base. [U.S.] Note: Predicate is sometimes used in the United States for found or base; as, to predicate an argument on certain principles; to predicate a statement on information received. Predicate is a term in logic, and used only in a single case, namely, when we affirm one thing of another. "Similitude is not predicated of essences or substances, but of figures and qualities only." Cudworth.
Additional senses
- 2.To affirm something of another thing; to make an affirmation. Sir M. Hale.
- 3.(Logic) That which is affirmed or denied of the subject. In these propositions, "Paper is white," "Ink is not white," whiteness is the predicate affirmed of paper and denied of ink.
- 4.(Gram.) The word or words in a proposition which express what is affirmed of the subject.
- 5.Predicated.
Sources
- Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913 edition (public domain, via GCIDE / Project Gutenberg).
- Canonical URL: https://worddirectanswers.com/answers/what-does-predicate-mean
- Steward: Jason Burns
- Published: 2026-07-17T00:00:00-07:00 · Modified: 2026-07-17T00:00:00-07:00