putative

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How do you use this word? I look it up in the dictionary and it says "reputed, supposed" but whenever I see it used, it doesn't seem to fit this meaning. ie, someone in the Charles Kennedy thread referred to him as a "putative prime minister" but he's not a reputed or supposed prime minister...

― dream logic, Friday, 6 January 2006 15:18 (twenty years ago)

My gf's mother always introduces me as her 'putative son-in-law' I always respond 'puta what?'

― M. White (Miguelito), Friday, 6 January 2006 15:21 (twenty years ago)

Having just checked the thread the sentence was "also if you're a putative head of state, alcohol addiction is a bit of a no-no."

Still doesn't seem to mean reputed or supposed.

― dream logic, Friday, 6 January 2006 15:22 (twenty years ago)

Clipped from bits on dictionary.com:

Generally regarded as such; supposed, thought, assumed, or alleged to be such or to exist, commonly put forth or accepted as true on inconclusive grounds; e.g. "the child's putative father"; "the reputed (or purported) author of the book"; "the supposed date of birth."

It indicates that something is said or thought to be so, although it cannot be stated with absolute certainty.

― Laura H. (laurah), Friday, 6 January 2006 16:12 (twenty years ago)

Maybe they were being funny?

― öROXYMUZAKö (roxymuzak), Friday, 6 January 2006 16:20 (twenty years ago)

It means "thought to be" so it gets used both as "reputed" and "expected to be".

― beanz (beanz), Friday, 6 January 2006 16:22 (twenty years ago)

An ILE search for "putative" threw up these facts:

1) Around 90% of all "putative"s on ILE are from a single poster, Ned Raggett.

2) Of the rest, Americans seem to use the word correctly, ie to mean supposed or reputed, and yet the British seem to think it means "possible, theoretical, in the future", ie "my putative offspring" to mean offspring one may have in the future.

― dream logic, Friday, 6 January 2006 16:22 (twenty years ago)

Maybe they meant "would-be" but didn't really understand the word.

― Laura H. (laurah), Friday, 6 January 2006 16:23 (twenty years ago)

1) Around 90% of ~~all "putative"s on~~ ILE is from a single poster, Ned Raggett.

― mark p (Mark P), Friday, 6 January 2006 16:24 (twenty years ago)

IT SOUNDS A BIT LIKE PUBIC!! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAA!!!!!!

― Wogan Lenin (dog latin), Friday, 6 January 2006 16:27 (twenty years ago)

it was me!

― Theorry Henry (Enrique), Friday, 6 January 2006 16:28 (twenty years ago)

who died and made you fuhrer of words?

― Theorry Henry (Enrique), Friday, 6 January 2006 16:29 (twenty years ago)

you knew what i meant. the word did its job.

― Theorry Henry (Enrique), Friday, 6 January 2006 16:29 (twenty years ago)

No one died and made me fuhrer of words! I was genuinely puzzled. The word seems to mean something a bit different to the British, something like "would-be", as someone said above.

― dream logic, Friday, 6 January 2006 16:31 (twenty years ago)

put yeah i made an error, i meant 'prospective', i putate.

― Theorry Henry (Enrique), Friday, 6 January 2006 16:34 (twenty years ago)

Yeah. Seems as if the writer had the idea of "potential" in mind, but used the wrong word.

These misunderstandings occur. Lots of people believe "penultimate" means "beyond the ultimate", when it really means "just prior to the ultimate" in the sense of "next to last".

― Aimless (Aimless), Friday, 6 January 2006 16:47 (twenty years ago)

there needs to be a word for 'beyond the ultimate'!

― Theorry Henry (Enrique), Friday, 6 January 2006 16:48 (twenty years ago)

ultramate!

― Onimo (GerryNemo), Friday, 6 January 2006 16:52 (twenty years ago)

That sounds like extra strong condoms

― beanz (beanz), Friday, 6 January 2006 16:54 (twenty years ago)

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