presumptive

What it means

1. Based on presumption or conjecture; inferred, likely, presumed.

   By late May, he was already considered his party’s presumptive nominee.

   2 more examples

   Hovv delightfully vvould your time have been taken up vvith the appeals of ſcolding vvives, forſaken damſels and vvitches preſumptive!

   1753 (indicated as 1754), [Samuel Richardson], “Letter LII. Lady G[randison]. To Miss Lucy Selby.”, in The History of Sir Charles Grandison. […], 2nd edition, volume VI, London: […] S[amuel] Richardson; [a]nd sold by C. Hitch and L. Hawes, […], →OCLC, page 263

   It's a beautiful point of presumptive murder, and there's been nane like it in the Justiciar Court since the case of Luckie Smith the howdie, that suffered in the year saxteen hundred and seventy-nine.

   1818 July 25, Jedediah Cleishbotham [pseudonym; Walter Scott], chapter IV, in Tales of My Landlord, Second Series, […] (The Heart of Mid-Lothian), volume I, Edinburgh: […] [James Ballantyne and Co.] for Archibald Constable and Company, →OCLC, pages 121–122

   1. Often postpositive, as in heir presumptive: of an heir or heiress: presumed to be entitled to inherit unless someone with a superior entitlement is born.

      The Queen’s younger brother was the heir presumptive to the throne, until she gave birth to her first child.

      1 more example

      [B]y lavv no inheritance can veſt, nor can any perſon be the actual complete heir of another, till the anceſtor is previouſly dead. Nemo eſt haeres viventis [No one is the heir of the living]. Before that time the perſon vvho is next in the line of ſucceſſion is called an heir apparent, or heir preſumptive. […] Heirs preſumptive are ſuch, vvho, if the anceſtor ſhould die immediately, vvould in the preſent circumſtances of things be the heirs; but vvhoſe right of inheritance may be defeated by the contingency of ſome nearer heir being born: as a brother, or nephevv, vvhoſe preſumptive ſucceſſion may be deſtroyed by the birth of a child; or a daugher, vvhoſe preſent hopes may be hereafter cut off by the birth of a ſon. Nay, even if the eſtate hath deſcended, by the death of the ovvner, to ſuch brother, or nephevv, or daughter; in the former caſes the eſtate ſhall be deveſted and taken avvay by the birth of a poſthumous child; and, in the latter, it ſhall alſo be totally deveſted by the birth of a poſthumous ſon.

      1766, William Blackstone, “Of a Title by Descent”, in Commentaries on the Laws of England, book II (Of the Rights of Things), Oxford, Oxfordshire: […] Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 208

   2. embryologyOf a cell or tissue: which has yet to differentiate, but is presumed to develop into a particular body part.

In a sentence

By late May, he was already considered his party’s presumptive nominee.

Where it comes from

1. Proto-Indo-European*h₁em-“to distribute; to take”
2. Latinpraesūmptus“presumed”
3. Late Latinpraesumptivus“based on presumption; bold; insolent”
4. Middle Frenchpresumptif
5. Anglo-Normanpresumptif
6. Middle Englishpresumptif
7. Latinsūmptus
8. Englishpresumptive

PIE word *upó From pre- + Latin sūmptus + -ive, from Late Middle English presumptif, presumptijf (“based on presumption”), from Anglo-Norman presumptif and Middle French presumptif, présomptif (“based on presumption; of an heir or heiress: presumed to be entitled to inherit unless someone with a superior entitlement is born; presumptuous”) (modern French présomptif), and directly from their etymon Late Latin praesumptivus (“based on presumption; bold; insolent”), from Latin praesūmptus (“presumed”) + -īvus (suffix forming adjectives). Praesūmptus is the perfect passive participle of praesūmō (“to presume”), from prae- (prefix meaning ‘before; in front’) + sūmō (“to seize, take; to accept, presuppose; to undertake”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₁em- (“to distribute; to take”)).