major premiss

9.9

A statement in a logical argument that contains the conclusion's main term

noun
/ˈmeɪdʒər ˈprɛmɪs/

: premisa mayor

In a classic syllogism, the major premiss is 'All humans are mortal.'

Examples

You must first identify the major premiss before analyzing the logical structure.
The logician explained how the major premiss determines the scope of the argument.
The major premiss is essential.
A clear major premiss helps the argument.
In a classic syllogism, the major premiss reveals the necessary connection between terms.
The logician emphasized that the major premiss is crucial for drawing valid conclusions.
You need to define the major premiss to ensure clarity in your argument's reasoning.

Synonyms

major premise

vsmajor premiss

Specialized

1 7.4

A general statement that includes the main word in the conclusion, for example 'All humans are mortal'

has identical meaning but uses an older alternative spelling

Surface Forms

major premiss singular

major premisses plural

major premises plural

major premise singular

Morphology

major + premiss

Although the phrase is compositionally formed from 'major' and 'premiss', its intended meaning is a technical, syllogistic sense (the premise that contains the major term/predicate of the conclusion) that cannot be inferred from the everyday meaning of 'major' ('important') and 'premiss' ('proposition'). A B1 learner who knows the constituent words would most likely interpret it as 'an important premise', so the correct technical sense is not predictable without prior exposure.

Etymology

Major premiss comes from old logic where people put statements before the 'conclusion'. The word major marks the main statement and premiss is what is placed before the 'conclusion', so the major premiss is the main rule that contains the key word of the 'conclusion' and makes the argument work.