Precise is an adjective meaning exact. A premise is a noun: a statement taken as the basis for an argument — and in the plural, premises, a building and its grounds. A precise measurement; the premise of the film; on the premises. Close in shape, nowhere near in meaning.
The core difference
- precise — exact, accurate, sharply defined. The precise moment, precise instructions, to be precise.
- premise — a proposition assumed as a starting point; the basic idea of a story. The premise is that crime pays, a false premise. Plural premises: a building and its land. Alcohol may not be consumed on the premises.
The tell
Precise ends in -cise, "cut", like incise and concise — cut to exactly the right size. Premise ends in -mise, "sent", like promise — something sent ahead of the argument. One describes; the other is a thing you can state, question or build on.
In use
- precise — Give me the precise figure, not an estimate. The cut must be precise to the millimetre.
- premise — The whole plan rests on a shaky premise. Smoking is banned on the premises.
Common slips
- on the precise that it would rain → on the premise that it would rain
- a premise measurement → a precise measurement
Precise is cut exactly; a premise is sent ahead.
Where the words come from
Precise is from Latin praecisus, "cut off short", from prae- + caedere "to cut". Premise is from Latin praemissa, "sent before", from prae- + mittere "to send" — in logic, the statements sent ahead of the conclusion. The building sense comes from legal deeds, where "the premises" meant the property already named earlier in the document.
Frequently asked questions
Why are buildings called premises?
From legal documents: "the premises" meant the things mentioned before — the property already described — and it stuck to the property itself.
Is it "premise" or "premises" for a building?
Premises, always plural, even for one building.
What is the noun from precise?
Precision. Premise is already a noun; its verb is to premise, rare.