Etymologically
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pono

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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