predicate
|pre-di-cate|
/ˈprɛdɪkət/
state or base on
Etymology
'predicate' originates from Latin, specifically the word 'praedicatus', where 'prae-' meant 'before' and 'dicare' meant 'to proclaim or declare'.
'predicate' changed from the Latin past participle 'praedicatus' into Middle English forms such as 'predicaten' and eventually became the modern English word 'predicate'.
Initially, it meant 'to proclaim or publicly declare', but over time it evolved into its current meanings of 'to state or assert about a subject' and the specialized grammatical and logical senses.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
the part of a sentence or clause that contains the verb and states something about the subject (grammar).
In the sentence 'She runs fast,' 'runs fast' is the predicate.
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Noun 2
a property, quality, or relation attributed to the subject of a proposition (logic/philosophy).
In logic, 'is red' can be a predicate for certain objects.
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Noun 3
a function or condition (often in mathematics or computer science) that returns true or false for given inputs.
The predicate P(x) is true if x is an even number.
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Verb 1
to state or assert something about a subject; to ascribe a property or quality to something.
Some philosophers predicate mental states on observable behaviours.
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Last updated: 2025/12/18 20:59