suppositious

suppositious

English

Etymology

From New Latin suppositius, from Latin suppositīcius.

Adjective

suppositious (comparative more suppositious, superlative most suppositious)

1. Spurious; substituted for the genuine, counterfeit; fake; supposititious. [from 17th c.]
   • 1616, James I of England, A Remonstrance of the Most Gratious King James I, Cambridge, p. 22,

     […] who knowes not how false, how suppositious, the writings and Epistles of the auncient Popes are iustly esteemed?

   • 1794, Erasmus Darwin, Zoonomia, London: J. Johnson, Volume 1, Section 16.9, p. 154,

     […] a hen teaches this language with equal ease to the ducklings, she has hatched from suppositious eggs, and educates as her own offspring […]

   • 1913, Fred M. White, Powers of Darkness, Chapter 26,

     […] unfortunately for you, the real Faber and the suppositious Faber, alias Draycott, were much alike in one respect. They gave way to drinking bouts at regular intervals.

2. Imaginary; fictitious, pretended to exist. [from 17th c.]
   • 1940, Sinclair Lewis, Bethel Merriday, Chapter 14,

     At rehearsals the actor tossed an entirely imaginary cloak about his shoulders as though it were heavy brocade, courteously removed a hat made of air, and seriously set out on a suppositious table a non-existent dinner, after sedulously cooking it on a kitchen range that was a chair.

3. Hypothetical, based on supposition; suppositional. [from 17th c.]
   • 1946, Isaac Asimov, “Evidence” in Astounding Science-Fiction, Volume 38, No. 1, September 1946, p. 125,

     Look, Dr. Lanning, let me present you with a suppositious case. Supposing we had a politician who was interested in defeating a reform candidate at any cost and while investigating his private life came across oddities such as I have just mentioned.

See also

• supposititious