Both Uses of
presume
in
The Scarlet Letter
- Nevertheless, vixenly as she looks, many people are seeking at this very moment to shelter themselves under the wing of the federal eagle; imagining, I presume, that her bosom has all the softness and snugness of an eiderdown pillow.
p. 7.6presume = assume
- None of them, I presume, had ever read a page of my inditing, or would have cared a fig the more for me if they had read them all;
p. 26.6 *
Definitions:
-
(1)
(presume as in: presumption of innocence) to think of something as true or likely, even though it is not known with certaintySomething can be presumed because it seems reasonable or because there is a rule or law demanding such an assumption. For example, in the United States someone charged with a crime is presumed by law to be innocent unless they are proven guilty at a trial.
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(2)
(presumptuous as in: she is presumptuous) exercising privileges to which one is not entitled -- such as being too familiar or too bossy