postulate: Meaning and Definition of

pos•tu•late

1. to ask, demand, or claim.
2. to claim or assume the existence or truth of, esp. as a basis for reasoning or arguing.
3. to assume without proof, or as self-evident; take for granted.
4. to assume as a postulate.

1. something taken as self-evident or assumed without proof as a basis for reasoning.
2. a proposition that requires no proof, being self-evident, or that is for a specific purpose assumed true, and that is used in the proof of other propositions; axiom.
3. a fundamental principle.
4. a necessary condition; prerequisite.