supposé

Supposé is a French adjective and past participle formed from the verb supposer, meaning to suppose or to assume. It denotes something that is assumed, hypothetical, or presented as a premise. In usage, supposé describes claims or conditions that are not proven.

The word agrees with the noun it modifies. The masculine singular form is supposé, the feminine singular is supposée, the masculine plural is supposés, and the feminine plural is supposées. For example, une théorie supposée means “an assumed/theory,” while un auteur supposé means “a supposed author.”

In everyday French, supposé can convey different degrees of certainty. It often translates to “supposed,” “alleged,” or “so-called,” depending on context. For instance, le supposé coupable refers to “the alleged culprit,” whereas une théorie supposée peut signaler a theory still under consideration. In mathematical or logical writing, however, the phrase Supposons que… is customary and translates roughly as “Let us suppose that…” or “Assume that…,” used to introduce a hypothesis or a conditional scenario.

Origin and nuance: supposé stems from the verb supposer, which in turn derives from Latin supponere (to put under, or to suppose). The term is standard in modern French and appears in philosophy, science, journalism, and everyday language to indicate something that is assumed for argument’s sake rather than established as fact.

See also: supposer, supposition, hypothesis.