Main Entry: ¹pos·tu·late

Pronunciation: \ˈpäs-chə-ˌlāt\

Function: transitive verb

Inflected Form(s): pos·tu·lat·ed; pos·tu·lat·ing

Etymology: Latin postulatus, past participle of postulare; akin to Latin poscere to ask, Old High German forscōn to search, Sanskrit pṛcchati he asks — more at pray

Date: 1593

1 : demand, claim
2 a : to assume or claim as true, existent, or necessary : depend upon or start from the postulate of b : to assume as a postulate or axiom (as in logic or mathematics)

— pos·tu·la·tion \ˌpäs-chə-ˈlā-shən\ noun

— pos·tu·la·tion·al \-shnəl, -shə-n^əl\ adjective