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premises

PREM-uh-suhz /ˈprem.ɪ.sɪz/

nounB2SATACTTOEFLIELTS

formalbusinesslegal

A house or building, together with its land and outbuildings, occupied by a business or considered in an official context.

Refers to the physical boundaries of a property as defined in a legal document. It is almost always used in the plural form when referring to property.

The story behind the word. This is one of the most delightful accidents in English etymology. In Latin, praemissa meant 'things mentioned beforehand.' In medieval legal documents, the detailed description of the property was written at the very beginning of the deed. Later in the document, instead of rewriting the long description, lawyers simply referred to 'the premises' (the things mentioned above). Over time, people forgot the logical origin and started using 'premises' to mean the physical buildings and land themselves!

Word relationships

property: 'Property' is a broader term that can include land, buildings, or personal belongings, while 'premises' specifically refers to a defined tract of land and its buildings.
facility: 'Facility' implies a building designed for a specific function (e.g., a manufacturing facility), whereas 'premises' is a neutral legal term for any physical site.

Commonly confused with

premise: A 'premise' (singular) is a logical starting point for an argument. 'Premises' (plural) refers to physical property.

Word family

premise (noun): A proposition supporting or helping to support a conclusion.

Collocations

on the premises
vacate the premises
business premises
secure the premises

Example sentences

"Trespassers will be prosecuted, and video surveillance is active across the entire premises." A security warning posted at a corporate facility.
"The tenant must maintain liability insurance covering any accidents that occur on the premises." A business lease agreement specifying insurance requirements.

Memory hook

Think of the 'premises' as the physical 'presents' (properties) that were promised at the beginning of the legal document. The premises are the physical places mentioned 'previously' in the contract.

When not to use

Do not confuse with the singular 'premise', which means an underlying assumption or proposition in logic.

Fun facts

Because 'premises' is historically a plural adjective meaning 'things set before,' treating it as a singular noun (e.g., 'this premises is clean') is still technically frowned upon by strict grammarians, though common in speech.

Related words

occupancy, vacancy

Explore more words

Property, premise, perimeter, station, tenure, quarters