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premessa

premise

noun preh-MES-sah Rare
Communication Speech

Origin: Medieval Latin praemissa (proposition set before), from prae- (before) + mittere (to send).

Also means

preliminary remark

Usage Note

Premessa is the noun for a preliminary statement or assumption that something else is built on. Fare una premessa means 'to state upfront' before getting to the main point. In logic it is a premise of an argument. In written Italian it often heads the introductory section of a document.

Examples

"Faccio una breve premessa prima di iniziare."

Natural Translation

I'll make a brief premise before starting.

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