| predicate |
| Definition:
In traditional grammar, it is the part of a sentence (or a clause) that says something about the subject. Note: Predicates must contain a verb. |
| Example:
In the following examples, the predicate is bolded: (1) She sings. (2) Jack listened to the CD. |
| Etymology: The word derives from the Latin prædicatum, that which is said of the subject (from præ, before + dicare, proclaim). |
| Oxford English Dictionary: Its first OED citation is from 1532; its first citation in its grammatical sense is from 1638: "Thus much of the Subject, ‘The Righteous’: Now I come to the Predicate, ‘shall be in everlasting remembrance’." (Mede Wks. (1672) 81) |