presuppone

Presuppone is the third person singular present indicative of the verb presupporre. It means to suppose something as true beforehand, to posit as a condition or prerequisite for a discussion, argument, or action. In this sense, presupporre implies treating an element as given, a condition whose existence is assumed for the rest to hold.

From Latin praesupponere, formed from prae- meaning before and supponere meaning to place under or set before. The word entered Italian with the sense of placing a prior condition in front of an argument.

In usage, presuppone is common in formal and analytic writing, especially in philosophy, linguistics, law, and critical discourse. It is often used with che to introduce an implied assumption, as in Questo enunciato presuppone che tutti siano d'accordo sull'obiettivo, or La proposta presuppone una disponibilità di fondi non ancora verificata. In everyday language, it can also be used more loosely to indicate that an argument or situation rests on an unspoken premise.

Related terms include presupposto (the underlying premise or precondition) and presupposizione (the presupposition). The verb presupporre has related forms: presuppone, presupponi, presupponiamo, etc., and its nouns are presupposto and presupposizione.