Skip to main content
PlainSpell

predicate

/ˈpɹɛd.ɪ.kɪt/noun, adjective, verb

predicate is spelled P-R-E-D-I-C-A-T-E: 9 letters and 3 syllables. It appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 34,912th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, predicate means “The part of the sentence (or clause) which states a property that a subject has or is characterized by” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of predicate is predicates.

How many letters and syllables are in predicate?

Letters9: P-R-E-D-I-C-A-T-E
Syllables3 (from its American pronunciation)
In writingabout once in every 1 million words; the 34,912th most frequent word form
Wrong spellings searchednone measured in search

Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).

How common is predicate?

Predicate appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 34,912th most frequent word form in the list.

Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).

How do you pronounce predicate?

  • UK /ˈpɹɛd.ɪ.kət/
  • US /ˈpɹɛd.ɪ.kɪt/

As a verb (“To announce, assert, or proclaim publicly”): /ˈpɹɛdɪˌkeɪt/.

Predicate has 3 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-predicate_(noun).wav, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-predicate_(verb).wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).

Forms of predicate

  • predicates plural, present, singular, he/she/it
  • more predicate comparative
  • most predicate superlative
  • predicating participle, present
  • predicated participle, past

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What does predicate mean?

The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).

noun

  1. 1

    The part of the sentence (or clause) which states a property that a subject has or is characterized by.

  2. 2

    A term of a statement, where the statement may be true or false depending on whether the thing referred to by the values of the statement's variables has the property signified by that (predicative) term.

    A propositional variable may be treated as a nullary predicate.

  3. 3

    An operator, expression, or function that returns either true or false.

adjective

  1. 1

    Of or related to the predicate of a sentence or clause.

  2. 2

    Predicated, stated.

  3. 3

    Relating to or being any of a series of criminal acts upon which prosecution for racketeering may be predicated.

verb

  1. 1

    To announce, assert, or proclaim publicly.

  2. 2

    To assume or suppose; to infer.

  3. 3

    To base (on); to assert on the grounds of.

    The law is what constitutes both desire and the lack on which it is predicated.

  4. 4

    To make a term (or expression) the predicate of a statement.

  5. 5

    To assert or state as an attribute or quality of something.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

How do you abbreviate predicate?

Wiktionary records one abbreviation of predicate: pred.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

Predicate in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese

LanguageWords
Frenchprédicat (grammar: part of sentence that states something…)
GermanPrädikat, Satzaussage (grammar: part of sentence that states something…)
Portuguesepredicado (grammar: part of sentence that states something…), pregar, predicar (to announce or assert publicly), supor (to assume or suppose; to infer), basear-se em (to base on, to assert on the grounds of)
Spanishpredicado (grammar: part of sentence that states something…), predicar (to announce or assert publicly)

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.

Where does predicate come from?

From Middle English predicat(e), from Old French predicat (French prédicat), from Medieval Latin praedicātum (“thing said of a subject, predicate”), substantivized from the nominative neuter singular of praedicātus, the perfect passive participle praedicō (“to proclaim”), see -ate (noun-forming suffix); see also Etymology 2 below. The adjective was derived from the noun by metanalysis, see -ate (adjective-forming suffix).

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What to look up after predicate