premise

Noun

• a statement that is assumed to be true and from which a conclusion can be drawn
  • on the assumption that he has been injured we can infer that he will not to play
    

Verb

• take something as preexisting and given

• furnish with a preface or introduction
  • She always precedes her lectures with a joke
    
  • He prefaced his lecture with a critical remark about the institution
    

• set forth beforehand, often as an explanation
  • He premised these remarks so that his readers might understand
    

Related words

• Synonyms: 
  premiss , assumption , precede , preface , introduce