About this episode
This episode discusses the word 'postulate', its meaning, and usage in formal contexts.
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for April 17, 2026 is: postulate • \PAHSS-chuh-layt\ • verb Postulate is a formal word used to mean “to suggest something, such as an idea or theory, especially in order to start or continue a discussion.” // Scientists have postulated the existence of water on the planet’s largest moon. See the entry > Examples: “Based on their findings, researchers postulate that Homo sapiens reacted better to lead exposure evolutionarily than Neanderthals, a species that were close relatives to Homo sapiens and that went extinct around 40,000 years ago.” — Mason Leath, ABC News , 16 Oct. 2025 Did you know? When you postulate an idea or theory you suggest that it is true especially for the purposes of an argument or discussion. The word postulate is mostly at home in formal and academic contexts, but don’t let that stop you from postulating, for example, that takeout for dinner makes sense given the cook’s delayed return home from work, or that a thunderstorm is imminent given the cumulonimbus building on the horizon. This “ hypothesize ” sense of postulate emerged in the early 18th century, but the verb first appeared in English centuries…
Topics covered
- language
- education
- vocabulary
- communication
Keywords
- suggest
- theory
- discussion
- scientists
- existence
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