expose

Pronunciation

• IPA: UK /ɪkˈspəʊz/, US /ɪkˈspoʊz/^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Middle French exposer,^[2][3][4] which replaced Latin expōnere, to set forth, lay open, explain (see expound), by confusion with poser, to place (see pose),^[2][5][6] and was influenced by its participle expositus.^[6][5] Barnhart thinks it may in part be a back-formation from exposition.^[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

To lay open, set forth, make known: before 1422;^[2] to lay open to danger or ridicule, 1474 in the OED;^[7] to leave without shelter, the early 15th century in Etymonline.^[3]

Semantic evolution

To leave something without shelter is from about 1477,^[7] and to abandon an infant from 1611.^[7] To exhibit openly is from the 1620s, and to unmask from the 1690s.^[3] The photographic sense, to subject film to light, is from 1839.^[3] The noun exposé, a revealing of crime or scandal, is from 1803, first as a French word in reference to Napoleon.^[2][3][5]

Timeline

• before 1422 – to lay open.^[2]
• 1474 – to expose to danger.^[7]
• 1611 – to abandon an infant.^[7]
• 1690s – to unmask.^[3]
• 1803 – exposé.^[2][3]
• 1839 – photographic sense.^[3]

Modern meaning

Verb

1. To uncover or leave unprotected, as to danger, weather or harm.
2. To make known something hidden or shameful; to reveal or unmask.
3. To let light fall on a photographic film.
4. To display for viewing.

Word family

• exposer
• exposable
• exposability
• exposal
• exposition
• exposure
• overexpose
• preexpose

Related words

• expound
• pose
• exposé

Usage notes

The noun exposé is pronounced /ekˈspəʊ.zeɪ/ in British English and /ˌek.spoʊˈzeɪ/ in American English.^[1]

References

1. ^ a b Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
2. ^ a b c d e f g Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
3. ^ a b c d e f g h Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
4. ^ Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
5. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
6. ^ a b Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
7. ^ a b c d e Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press