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postulatemore about postulate

postulate


  4  definitions  found 
 
  From  Webster's  Revised  Unabridged  Dictionary  (1913)  [web1913]: 
 
  Postulate  \Pos"tu*late\,  n.  [L.  postulatum  a  demand,  request, 
  prop.  p.  p.  of  postulare  to  demand,  prob.  a  dim.  of  poscere 
  to  demand,  prob.  for  porcscere  akin  to  G.  forschen  to 
  search,  investigate,  Skr.  prach  to  ask  and  L.  precari  to 
  pray:  cf  F.  postulat.  See  {Pray}.] 
  1.  Something  demanded  or  asserted;  especially,  a  position  or 
  supposition  assumed  without  proof,  or  one  which  is 
  considered  as  self-evident;  a  truth  to  which  assent  may  be 
  demanded  or  challenged,  without  argument  or  evidence. 
 
  2.  (Geom.)  The  enunciation  of  a  self-evident  problem,  in 
  distinction  from  an  axiom,  which  is  the  enunciation  of  a 
  self-evident  theorem. 
 
  The  distinction  between  a  postulate  and  an  axiom 
  lies  in  this  --  that  the  latter  is  admitted  to  be 
  self-evident,  while  the  former  may  be  agreed  upon 
  between  two  reasoners,  and  admitted  by  both  but  not 
  as  proposition  which  it  would  be  impossible  to  deny. 
  --Eng.  Cyc. 
 
  From  Webster's  Revised  Unabridged  Dictionary  (1913)  [web1913]: 
 
  Postulate  \Pos"tu*late\,  a. 
  Postulated.  [Obs.]  --Hudibras. 
 
  From  Webster's  Revised  Unabridged  Dictionary  (1913)  [web1913]: 
 
  Postulate  \Pos"tu*late\,  v.  t.  [imp.  &  p.  p.  {Postulated};  p. 
  pr  &  vb  n.  {Postulating}.] 
  1.  To  beg,  or  assume  without  proof;  as  to  postulate 
  conclusions. 
 
  2.  To  take  without  express  consent;  to  assume. 
 
  The  Byzantine  emperors  appear  to  have  .  .  . 
  postulated  a  sort  of  paramount  supremacy  over  this 
  nation.  --W.  Tooke. 
 
  3.  To  invite  earnestly;  to  solicit.  [Obs.]  --Bp.  Burnet. 
 
  From  WordNet  r  1.6  [wn]: 
 
  postulate 
  n  :  in  logic:  a  proposition  that  is  accepted  as  true  in  order  to 
  provide  a  basis  for  logical  reasoning 
  v  1:  maintain  or  assert;  "He  contended  that  Communism  ahd  no 
  future"  [syn:  {contend}] 
  2:  take  as  a  given  assume  as  a  postulate  or  axiom;  "He  posited 
  three  basic  laws  of  nature"  [syn:  {posit}] 




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