All 3 Uses of
presume
in
Washington Square, by Henry James
- "No one but I," said Catherine, who felt as if she were making the most presumptuous speech of her life, and yet at the same time had an instinct that she was right in doing so.†
Chpt 17 *presumptuous = exercising privileges to which one is not entitled
- "Oh, a position is more than I should presume to call it," Morris Townsend answered.†
Chpt 9
- "You behave beautifully about not going with us," Catherine answered, not presuming to examine this analogy.†
Chpt 23
Definitions:
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(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
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(3)
(meaning too rare to warrant focus) meaning too rare to warrant focus