Main entry: assumption, premise, premiss
Definition: a statement that is assumed to be true and from which a conclusion can be drawn
Usage: on the assumption that he has been injured we can infer that he will not to play
Definition: take something as preexisting and given
Main entry: precede, preface, premise, introduce
Definition: furnish with a preface or introduction
Usage: She always precedes her lectures with a joke; He prefaced his lecture with a critical remark about the institution
Main entry: premise
Definition: set forth beforehand, often as an explanation
Usage: He premised these remarks so that his readers might understand