Dictionary definition · predicate
noun
- (logic) what is predicated of the subject of a proposition; the second term in a proposition is predicated of the first term by means of the copula"‘Socrates is a man’ predicates manhood of Socrates"
- one of the two main constituents of a sentence; the predicate contains the verb and its complements
verb
- make the (grammatical) predicate in a proposition"The predicate ‘dog’ is predicated of the subject ‘Fido’ in the sentence ‘Fido is a dog’"
- affirm or declare as an attribute or quality of"The speech predicated the fitness of the candidate to be President"
- involve as a necessary condition of consequence; as in logic"solving the problem is predicated on understanding it well"
Similar words
Source: Open English WordNet (CC BY 4.0).