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pred·i·cate (prĕdĭ-kāt)
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v. pred·i·cat·ed, pred·i·cat·ing, pred·i·cates
v.tr.
1. To base or establish (a statement or action, for example): I predicated my argument on the facts.
2. To state or affirm as an attribute or quality of something: The sermon predicated the perfectibility of humankind.
3. To carry the connotation of; imply.
4. Logic To make (a term or expression) the predicate of a proposition.
5. To proclaim or assert; declare.
v.intr.
To make a statement or assertion.
n. (-kĭt)
1. Grammar One of the two main constituents of a sentence or clause, modifying the subject and including the verb, objects, or phrases governed by the verb, as opened the door in Jane opened the door or is very sleepy in The child is very sleepy.
2. Logic That part of a proposition that is affirmed or denied about the subject. For example, in the proposition We are mortal, mortal is the predicate.
adj. (-kĭt)
1. Grammar Of or belonging to the predicate of a sentence or clause.
2. Stated or asserted; predicated.

[Late Latin praedicāre, praedicāt-, from Latin, to proclaim : prae-, pre- + dicāre, to proclaim; see deik- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]

predi·cation n.
predi·cation·al adj.
predi·cative adj.
predi·cative·ly adv.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
 

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

    Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

    Indo-European Roots

    Semitic Roots

    The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.