surmise
[ verb ser-mahyz; noun ser-mahyz, sur-mahyz ]
/ verb sərˈmaɪz; noun sərˈmaɪz, ˈsɜr maɪz /
verb (used with object), sur·mised, sur·mis·ing.
to think or infer without certain or strong evidence; conjecture; guess.
verb (used without object), sur·mised, sur·mis·ing.
to conjecture or guess.
noun
a matter of conjecture.
an idea or thought of something as being possible or likely.
a conjecture or opinion.
Origin of surmise
1350–1400; Middle English
surmisen < Anglo-French
surmis(e), Middle French (past participle of
surmettre to accuse < Latin
supermittere to throw upon), equivalent to
sur-
sur-1 +
mis (masculine),
mise (feminine) < Latin
missus, missa, equivalent to
mit(tere) to send +
-tus, -ta past participle suffix
OTHER WORDS FROM surmise
Words nearby surmise
suriname,
surinamese,
surjection,
surjective,
surly,
surmise,
surmount,
surmullet,
surname,
surpass,
surpassing
Example sentences from the Web for surmises
British Dictionary definitions for surmises
surmise
verb (sɜːˈmaɪz)
(when tr, may take a clause as object)
to infer (something) from incomplete or uncertain evidence
noun (sɜːˈmaɪz, ˈsɜːmaɪz)
an idea inferred from inconclusive evidence
Derived forms of surmise
surmisable, adjective surmiser, nounWord Origin for surmise
C15: from Old French, from
surmettre to accuse, from Latin
supermittere to throw over, from
super- +
mittere to send