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pono

Etymology and origin of the Latin word pono

History Permalink
Confidence
Established
Formation
Compound
First attested
Naevius
Ultimate origin
Latin (sinō)
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
Latin sino
Latin situs
Latin pono
Latin positivus
English positive

Pronunciation

  • IPA (Classical): [ˈpoː.noː][1]
  • IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈpɔː.no][1]

Forms

pōnō (present infinitive pōnere, perfect active posuī or posīvī, supine positum or postum); third conjugation[1] The old perfect is posīvī, in Plautus, Cato and inscriptions (poseivei).[2][3]

Etymology

It is from Latin po- (“away, off”) + sinō (“to let, place”), through *po-sinō, *posnō and *poznō, “to put down”.[4][2][5] The old perfect posīvī was the regular perfect of sinō, and when the link was lost posuī was formed to the participle positus.[4] Georges takes the prefix as the equivalent of Ancient Greek ἀπό (apó, “away”).[6]

Earliest recorded meaning

Naevius uses it.[4] Köbler dates Naevius c. 235–200 BC.[7]

Semantic evolution

In Classical Latin it was to place, set or put, to set up a monument, to lay foundations and so to build, to plant trees, to serve food, and to put down or lay down arms.[2] It was also to appoint or ordain, to put away or forgo, and in argument to posit or assume.[1]

Its compounds were many: compōnō, dēpōnō, expōnō, impōnō, oppōnō and prōpōnō.[4] It survives as Italian porre, French pondre, Spanish poner, Portuguese pôr and Romanian pune.[1]

Timeline

  • c. 235–200 BC – Naevius uses it.[4][7]
  • 234–149 BC – Cato tells the farmer to plant cuttings (pōnitō).[2][7]
  • late 14th century – English position is recorded, from positiō.[8]
  • 1690s – English posit is recorded, from the participle positus.[8]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To place, set, put.[2][3]
  2. To set up, erect (a monument).[2]
  3. To lay (foundations); to build, found.[2]
  4. To plant (trees).[2]
  5. To serve (food); to put on (a show).[2]
  6. To lay down, put aside (arms, a feeling).[2][1]
  7. To appoint, ordain.[1]
  8. To posit, assume, suppose.[1]

Word family

  • antepōnō
  • appōnō
  • circumpōnō
  • compōnō
  • contrāpōnō
  • dēpōnō
  • dispōnō
  • expōnō
  • impōnō
  • interpōnō
  • oppōnō
  • positiō
  • appositus
  • appositiō
  • circumpositus
  • compositus
  • compositiō
  • dēpositus
  • dēpositiō
  • dispositus
  • dispositiō
  • expositus
  • sinō
  • English position
  • English posit
  • English pose

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  4. ^ a b c d e de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
  5. ^ Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
  6. ^ Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn
  7. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  8. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com

Derived terms

Cite this entry

“Pono.” Etymologically, 16 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/la/pono. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.

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