Premise
Etymology
From Latin "praemissa," short for "praemissa propositio," "the proposition set before," from "prae," "before," and "mittere," "to send." In a syllogism the premises are literally the propositions placed ahead of the conclusion. The word’s core idea has never changed: whatever you set down first and agree to, everything after depends on.
noun · /PREM-iss/
A statement assumed to be true and used as the basis for an argument or conclusion.
What it names
The input an argument runs on — the thing to check first, since a flawless chain of reasoning from a false premise still delivers you somewhere wrong.
Example
The forecast was internally consistent but built on the shaky premise that interest rates would stay flat all year.
Related idea
A premise is the input you assume; an axiom is a premise elevated to bedrock — one a whole system treats as needing no defense at all.
noun · /PREM-iss/
A building together with its grounds, spoken of especially in law or business — almost always as the plural "premises."
What it names
The land and structures a person or business occupies.
Example
Staff were told to clear the premises before the alarm was set.
Related idea
This sense split off from the logical one through legal deeds: the "premises" were the matters stated earlier in the document — the property just described — and the word slid over to mean the property itself.