Emily Dickinson Lexicon

GUESS, v.t. [ges; D. gissen; Sw. gissa; Ir. geasam; Dan. gietter. It coincides with cast, like the L. conjicio; for in Danish, gietter is to guess, and giet-huus is a casting-house or foundery, gyder to pour out. Hence we see that this is the G. giessen, to pour, cast, or found, Eng. to gush. In Russ. gadayu is to guess, and kidayu, to cast Ar. حَزَي chajai, to divine or guess. Class Gs, No. 31. See also Class Gd. The sense is to cast, that is, to throw together circumstances, or to cast forward in mind.]

1. To conjecture; to form an opinion without certain principles or means of knowledge; to judge at random, either of a present unknown fact, or of a future fact. First, if thou canst, the harder reason guess. Pope.
2. To judge or form an opinion from some reasons that render a thing probable, but fall short of sufficient evidence. From slight circumstances or occasional expressions, we guess an author's meaning.
3. To hit upon by accident. Locke,
4. To suppose; to think; to be inclined to believe. Your own people have informed you, I guess, by this time. Middleton.