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sur·mise

(sər-mīz)

v. sur·mised, sur·mis·ing, sur·mis·es

v.tr.

1. To make a judgment about (something) without sufficient evidence; guess: "In another pocket he came across what he surmised in the dark were pennies, erroneously, however, as it turned out" (James Joyce).

2. To say (something) as a guess or conjecture.

v.intr.

To make a guess or conjecture.

An idea or opinion based on insufficiently conclusive evidence; a conjecture.

[Middle English surmisen, to accuse, from Old French surmise, feminine past participle of surmettre : sur-, sur- + mettre, to put (from Latin mittere).]

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.

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