postulate

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The Word of the Day for September 30 is:

postulate   \PAHSS-chuh-layt\   verb
     1 : demand, claim
    *2 a : to assume or claim as true, existent, or necessary : depend upon or 
start from the hypothesis of  b : to assume as an established truth (as in 
logic or mathematics)

Example sentence:
     "In order to test our theory," said Detective Higgins, "we must postulate 
that the victim was indeed acquainted with his killer."

Did you know?
     In 1703, the dedication of the _City and County Purchaser and Builders 
Dictionary_ included the following words: "These your extraordinary Favours . . 
. seem to Postulate from me . . . a Publick Recognition." That's also how the 
verb "postulate" was used when English speakers first began using it back in 
the late 1500s -- as a synonym of "require" or "demand." (The word's Latin 
grandparent, "postulare," has the same meaning.) "Postulate" was also used as a 
noun in the late 1500s, with the meaning "demand" or "stipulation." That sense 
is now considered archaic, but we still use the noun "postulate." Today, it 
usually means "a proposition taken for granted as true especially as a basis 
for a chain of reasoning."