presupposition
1094
fml 1 to suppose or take to be true in advance and without
proof; ASSUME: [+that] All these plans presuppose that the
bank will be willing to lend us the money. 2 to show that
(that stated thing) must exist: A child presupposes a mother.
pre·sup·po·si·tion /ˌprısəpəˈzıʃən/ n [C,U] fml (an exam-
ple of) supposing that something is true without proof:
[+that] Your judgment of the case is based on the presupposi-
tion that the witness is telling the truth.
pre·tence also -tense AmE /prıˈtens||ˈprıtens/ n 1 [S;U] a
false appearance intended either to deceive people or as a
game: He didn't like the food, but as he was a guest he made a
pretence of eating (=pretended to eat) some of it. | She isn't
really ill; it's only pretence. | [+that] How much longer are you
going to keep up this pretence that you're ill? 2 [U+to; usually in
questions and negatives] a claim to possess some desirable qual-
ity: a simple man, with little pretence to education → see also
FALSE PRETENCES
pre·tend¹ /prıˈtend/ v 1 [I;T] to give an appearance of
(something that is not true), with the intention of deceiv-
ing: She wasn't really crying; she was only pretending. | He
often pretends deafness when you ask him an awkward
question! | [+(that)/to-v] She pretended she didn't know
me/pretended not to know me when we met in the street. 2 [I;T]
(usually of a child) to imagine as a game: [+(that)/to-v] Let's
pretend we're on the moon/pretend to be on the
moon. 3 [T+to-v; usually in questions and negatives] to make a claim,
especially one that cannot be supported: I don't pretend to
understand these technical terms. (=I admit that I do not
understand them)
pretend to sthg. phr v [T] fml to claim to possess: I don't
pretend to much expertise in these matters, but ...
pretend² adj infml (used especially by or to children) imag-
ined; imaginary: That's my pretend friend. | a pretend mon-
ster
pre·tend·ed /prıˈtendıd/ adj often derog false or unreal in
spite of seeming true or real; insincere: pretended sympathy
pre·tend·er /prıˈtendər/ n [(to)] a person who makes a claim
(which is doubtful or not proved) to some high position,
such as to be the rightful king
pre·ten·sion /prıˈtenʃən/ n 1 [C(to) often pl.] a claim to
possess skill, qualities etc: I make no pretensions to skill as an
artist, but I enjoy painting. | (fig.) a house of modest pretensions
(=not very large and expensive-looking) 2 [U] fml preten-
tiousness
pre·ten·tious /prıˈtenʃəs/ adj claiming (in an unpleasant
way) to have importance, artistic value, or social rank that
one does not really possess: one of those pretentious films
that claim to be 'art' → opposite UNPRETENTIOUS —ly adv
—ness n [U]
pret·er·ite, -it /ˈpretərıt/ n, adj [the] tech (a tense or verb
form) that expresses a past action or condition: 'Sang' is the
preterite (form) of 'sing'.
pre·ter·nat·u·ral /ˌpri:təˈnætʃərək ||-tər-/ adj fml 1 beyond
what is usual: a warrior of preternatural strength 2 strange;
beyond what is natural or can be explained naturally: In
former times people believed that thunder and lightning were
signs of preternatural forces. —ly adv: preternaturally
strong
pre·text /ˈpri:tekst/ n [(of, for)] a reason given for an action in
order to hide the real intention; excuse: He came to the house
under/on the pretext of seeing Mr Jackson, but he really
wanted to see Jackson's daughter. | The riots were used by the
government as a pretext for banning all political activity. →
see EXCUSE (USAGE)
Pre·to·ri·a /prıˈtɔ:riə/ a city in the northern part of South
Africa, where the government departments are based. It is
one of South Africa's three capital cities. The others are Cape
Town, where the parliament is based, and Bloemfontain,
which is the centre for the legal system.
pret·ti·fy /ˈprıtıfaı/ v [T] usually derog to make pretty without
serious intention or effect
pret·ty¹ /ˈprıtı/ adj 1 apprec (especially of a woman, a child, or
a small thing) pleasing to look at, listen to etc; charming and
attractive without being very beautiful or important-looking:
She looks much prettier with long hair than with short hair. |
a pretty dress | What a pretty little garden! → see BEAUTIFUL
(USAGE) 2 [A] derog (of a young man) graceful and/or charm-
ing but rather EFFEMINATE 3 [A] derog, rather old-fash not nice;
displeasing: It's a pretty state of affairs when I can't afford the
price of a pint of beer any more! —tily adv —tiness n [U]
pretty² adv infml 1 quite, though not completely; rather: It's
pretty cold today. | I'm pretty sure he'll say yes. 2 very: This
work of yours is a pretty poor effort. You'd better do it
again. 3 pretty much also pretty well, pretty nearly very
nearly; almost: 'How is she feeling today?' 'Pretty much the
same as yesterday.' | It's pretty well impossible to travel over
these mountains in winter. → see also be sitting pretty (SIT)
,pretty 'penny n [S] infml a rather large amount of money:
That car cost a pretty penny, I can tell you!
'pretty-pretty adj infml derog, especially BrE pretty.in a silly or
weak way
pret·zel /ˈpretsəl/ n 1 a hard salty BISCUIT or CRACKER baked
in the shape of a stick or a loose knot, very popular in the
US: beer and pretzels 2 AmE also soft pretzel — a salty bread
baked in the shape of a knot and eaten while warm. It is
often bought at a sports event or from a person selling them
on the street.
pre·vail /prıˈveıl/ v [I] fml 1 [(among, in)] to (continue to) exist
or be widespread: A belief in magic still prevails among some
tribes. 2 [(against, over)] to gain control or victory; win a fight:
Justice has prevailed; the guilty man has been punished.
prevail upon/on sbdy. phr v [T+obj+to-v] fml to persuade: I'm
late for my train - could I prevail upon you to drive me to the
station?
pre·vail·ing /prıˈveılıŋ/ adj [A] 1 (of a wind) that blows
over an area most of the time: The prevailing winds here are
from the west. 2 fml existing or most widely accepted at a
particular time or in a particular place; CURRENT: the prevail-
ing fashion | the prevailing economic climate
prev·a·lent /ˈprevələnt/ adj [(among, in)] fml existing com-
monly, generally, or widely in a particular place or at a
particular time: Eye diseases are prevalent in some tropical
countries. —ly adv —lence n [U]
pre·var·i·cate /prıˈværıkeıt/ v [I] fml 1 to try to hide the
truth by not answering questions clearly or completely
truthfully 2 euph to tell lies —cator n —cation
/prıˌværıˈkeıʃən/ n [C,U]
pre·vent /prıˈvent/ v [T(from)] to stop (something) happening
or stop (someone) doing something: These rules are intended
to prevent accidents. | [+obj+v-ing] What can we do to prevent
this disease spreading? | Unless we get more funding we'll be
prevented from finishing our experimental programme.
—able adj: preventable cancer
pre·ven·tion /prıˈvenʃən/ n [U] the act of preventing: the
prevention of crime/disease
Prevention of Terrorism Act, the a British law made
in 1989 which gave the army, police, and government extra
powers to deal with TERRORISTS; such as being able to keep
someone in prison for 7 days without charging them with a
crime. It was used mainly against people who are believed to
be members of the IRA. It was replaced in 2000 by the
Terrorism Act. → ANTI-TERRORISM, CRIME AND SECURITY ACT,
THE
pre·ven·tive /prıˈventıv/ also pre·ven·ta·tive /-tətıv/ n,
adj (something) that helps to prevent something undesirable:
The government is taking preventative measures to safe-
guard law and order. —ly adv
preventive de'tention n [U] BrE tech imprisonment for a
long time for habitual criminals over 30 years old
preventive 'medicine n [U] medicine that helps prevent
illness, e.g. VACCINATION. This expression is also used to
describe measures taken to improve public health (e.g. pro-
viding pure water), and to educate people about personal
health (e.g. eating habits, physical exercise).
pre·view¹ /ˈpri:vju:/ n [(of)] 1 a private showing of paint-
ings, a cinema film etc, before they are shown to the general
public 2 a short description of something that will soon
happen, especially a film or television show soon to be
shown: I don't want to see it - I read the previews and they
weren't very enthusiastic. | This book gives us a preview of life
in the 25th century. → see also SNEAK PREVIEW 3 AmE short
pieces from a film or television programme which are shown
sometime before it as an ADVERTISEMENT → see TRAILER