Suppose
/səˈpoʊz/noun
To assume something is true or likely without proof, or to state a hypothesis.
Did you know?Suppose ultimately comes from Latin *supponere*, literally “to place under,” the same root behind *sub* and *position*—so the word’s oldest history is about putting something beneath the surface.
Etymological Timeline
Latin (Classical)
Latin
sub + ponere
““to place under””
Late Latin
Latin
supponere
“to put under, substitute, or place beneath”
Old French
Old French
supposer
“to assume, imagine, or put forward as true”
Middle English
English
supposen
“to assume, conjecture, or think”
Modern English
English
suppose
“to assume or consider something as a possibility”