the word 'surmise' entered english in the late middle english period via old french, from the verb 'surmettre', meaning 'to accuse'. its deeper roots lie in latin, combining the prefix 'super-' (over, above) with the verb 'mittere' (to send, to put). the original sense was of a formal accusation or legal charge, literally a 'sending over' or 'laying upon' someone. over time, the meaning softened from a formal allegation to a more general notion of putting forward an idea or proposition without firm proof, evolving into its modern sense of a conjecture or guess based on incomplete information.

Structure: sur (over) + mise (put, send) sur- (from latin 'super-', meaning 'over, above'); -mise (from latin 'mittere', meaning 'to send, to put').