Meaning

noun a statement that is assumed to be true and from which a conclusion can be drawn

verb set forth beforehand, often as an explanation

verb furnish with a preface or introduction

originFrom Middle English premise, premisse, from Old French premisse, from Medieval Latin premissa (“set before”) (premissa propositio (“the proposition set before”)), feminine past participle of Latin praemittere (“to send or put before”), from prae- (“before”) + mittere (“to send”). Sense 4, a piece of real estate arose from the misinterpretation of the word by property owners while reading title…

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 3.0