noun

predication

pred-uh-KAY-shun/ˌprɛdəˈkeɪʃən/

The act of asserting something about a subject.

The statement 'The apple is red' uses predication to assign the apple a color.

Minimal language teaching image showing a red apple beside the exact statement 'The apple is red.' A subtle line connects apple to statement.

Etymology

preLatinforth, before

+dicLatinproclaim

+ationLatinact or process

“Proclaiming forth” supplies the idea of making an assertion. The action noun acquired a specialized logical meaning: affirming something of a subject, such as attributing a quality to it.

In context

Gregory B. Sadler - That Philosophy Guy3:14

so predication I think is not really that tricky to wrap your head around you're saying something of something else or in Aristotle's terminology we are combining terms

Aristotle, The Categories | In a Subject vs. Predicated of a Subject | Philosophy Core Concepts

More examples

The sentence “Birds fly” illustrates predication by stating what birds do.
Predication can deny a property, as in “This fabric is not waterproof.”
The students compare two predications about the same subject.

Forms

predication · predications

predicate verb — To assert something about a subject.

predicative adjective — Expressing something asserted about a subject.

Similar words

assertion: Any stated claim, not specifically something asserted about a subject.
attribution: Assigns a quality or responsibility, rather than making any assertion.