DictionaryRoot: mettre
Old French
mettre
put
1 / 1
noun / verb
surmise
ser-MYZE/sərˈmaɪz/
A guess based on incomplete evidence, or to make such a guess.
Etymology
“Put upon” underlies the older meaning “accuse,” or lay a charge upon someone. The noun shifted from an allegation to a thought lacking certain evidence, giving the verb its modern sense of guessing.