Predicate

predicate
    n 1: (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"
    2: one of the two main constituents of a sentence; the predicate
       contains the verb and its complements [syn: {predicate},
       {verb phrase}]
    v 1: make the (grammatical) predicate in a proposition; "The
         predicate `dog' is predicated of the subject `Fido' in the
         sentence `Fido is a dog'"
    2: affirm or declare as an attribute or quality of; "The speech
       predicated the fitness of the candidate to be President"
       [syn: {predicate}, {proclaim}]
    3: involve as a necessary condition of consequence; as in logic;
       "solving the problem is predicated on understanding it well"
       [syn: {connote}, {predicate}]
    

Predicate \Pred"i*cate\, v. i.
   To affirm something of another thing; to make an affirmation.
   --Sir M. Hale.
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Predicate \Pred"i*cate\, n. [L. praedicatum, neut. of
   praedicatus, p. p. praedicare: cf. F. pr['e]dicat. See
   {Predicate}, v. t.]
   1. (Logic) That which is affirmed or denied of the subject.
      In these propositions, "Paper is white," "Ink is not
      white," whiteness is the predicate affirmed of paper and
      denied of ink.
      [1913 Webster]

   2. (Gram.) The word or words in a proposition which express
      what is affirmed of the subject.
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   Syn: Affirmation; declaration.
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Predicate \Pred"i*cate\, a. [L. praedicatus, p. p.]
   Predicated.
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Predicate \Pred"i*cate\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Predicated}; p.
   pr. & vb. n. {Predicating}.] [L. praedicatus, p. p. of
   praedicare to cry in public, to proclaim. See {Preach}.]
   1. To assert to belong to something; to affirm (one thing of
      another); as, to predicate whiteness of snow.
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   2. To found; to base. [U.S.]
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   Note: Predicate is sometimes used in the United States for
         found or base; as, to predicate an argument on certain
         principles; to predicate a statement on information
         received. Predicate is a term in logic, and used only
         in a single case, namely, when we affirm one thing of
         another. "Similitude is not predicated of essences or
         substances, but of figures and qualities only."
         --Cudworth.
         [1913 Webster]
    

119 Moby Thesaurus words for "predicate":
      IC analysis, advance, affirm, affirmance, affirmation, allegation,
      allege, announce, announcement, annunciate, annunciation,
      appositive, argue, assert, assertion, assever, asseverate,
      asseveration, attribute, attributive, aver, averment, avouch,
      avouchment, avow, avowal, bottom, complement, conclusion,
      construction modifier, contend, creed, cutting, declaration,
      declare, deep structure, depose, dictum, direct object, enunciate,
      enunciation, establish, express, filler, form-function unit, found,
      function, ground, have, hold, immediate constituent analysis,
      indirect object, insist, ipse dixit, issue a manifesto, lay down,
      levels, maintain, manifesto, modifier, object, phrase structure,
      pose, posit, position, position paper, positive declaration,
      postulate, predication, proclaim, proclamation, profess,
      profession, pronounce, pronouncement, propose, proposition,
      propound, protest, protestation, put, put it, qualifier, ranks,
      rest, say, say-so, saying, set down, set forth, shallow structure,
      slot, slot and filler, speak, speak out, speak up, stance, stand,
      stand for, stand on, state, statement, stay, strata, structure,
      subject, submit, surface structure, syntactic analysis,
      syntactic structure, syntactics, syntax, tagmeme,
      underlying structure, utterance, vouch, word, word arrangement,
      word order