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postulate.

Something assumed without proof as being self-evident or generally accepted, especially when used as a basis for an argument. Sometimes distinguished from axioms as being relevant to a particular science or context, rather than universally true, and following from other axioms rather than being an absolute assumption.

9 characters3 syllables approx.English language

Meaning & usage

noun/ˈpɒstjʊlət/UK/ˈpɑst͡ʃələt/US/ˈpɑst͡ʃəˌleɪt/US
  1. Something assumed without proof as being self-evident or generally accepted, especially when used as a basis for an argument. Sometimes distinguished from axioms as being relevant to a particular science or context, rather than universally true, and following from other axioms rather than being an absolute assumption.

  2. A fundamental element; a basic principle.

  3. An axiom.

  4. A requirement; a prerequisite.

Where this word comes from

Etymology tree Latin poscō? Latin postulō Latin postulātusnom. Latin postulātumbor. English postulate Borrowed from Latin postulātum, a neuter nominalization of postulātus, perfect passive participle of postulō, possibly from poscō. See -ate (noun-forming suffix) for more. Cognate with French postulat.

verb/ˈpɒstjʊleɪt/UK/ˈpɑst͡ʃəˌleɪt/US/ˈpɔst͡ʃəlæɪt/Australia/ˈpɒst͡ʃəlæɪt/New-Zealand
  1. To assume as a truthful or accurate premise or axiom, especially as a basis of an argument.

  2. To appoint or request one's appointment to an ecclesiastical office.

    ambitransitive · historical
  3. To request, demand or claim for oneself.

    ambitransitive · obsolete
Where this word comes from

From Latin postulātus, perfect passive participle of postulō (“to request”), see -ate (verb-forming suffix) for more. Cognate with French postuler.

verb/ˈpɒstjʊleɪt/UK/ˈpɑst͡ʃəˌleɪt/US/ˈpɔst͡ʃəlæɪt/Australia/ˈpɒst͡ʃəlæɪt/New-Zealand
  1. Alternative form of postulated, past participle of postulate.

    alt-of · alternative · obsolete
Where this word comes from

From Latin postulātus, perfect passive participle of postulō (“to request”), see -ate (adjective-forming suffix) for more.

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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.

Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.