I. ˈpredə̇kə̇]t, -dēk- sometimes -dəˌkā]; usu ]d.+V noun
( -s )
Etymology: Late Latin praedicatum, from neuter of praedicatus, past participle of praedicare to predicate, preach, from Latin, to proclaim publicly, assert — more at preach
1.
a. : something that is affirmed or denied of the subject in a proposition in logic
in “paper is white”, whiteness is the predicate
b. : a term designating a property or relation : a propositional function of one or more arguments
2. : the part of a sentence or clause that expresses what is said of the subject and that usually consists of a verb with or without objects, complements, or adverbial modifiers
3. : a title asserting something
“mother of God” is a predicate of Mary
II. -dəˌkāt, usu -ād.+V verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: Late Latin praedicatus, past participle of praedicare to assert, predicate, preach, from Latin, to proclaim publicly, assert — more at preach
transitive verb
1.
a. : affirm , declare , proclaim
b. archaic : preach
c. obsolete : commend , praise
2.
a. : to assert or affirm as a quality, attribute, or property — used with following of
predicates intelligence of man
b. logic : to affirm of the subject of a proposition : make (a term) the predicate in a proposition
3. : found , base
any code of ethics must be predicated upon the basic principles of truth and honesty — H.A.Wagner
4.
[by alteration]
archaic : predict
5. : to convey an implication of
predicates the arrival of a revolutionary situation — George Soule
intransitive verb
: to assert something about another thing : affirm , declare
Synonyms: see assert
III. pronunc at predicate I\ adjective
: belonging to the predicate ; specifically : completing the meaning of a copula or link verb
predicate noun
predicate adjective