pose English · revision 7842

+ Pose, to place or adopt a posture, comes from French poser, while pose, to puzzle, is partly from the same French verb and partly a shortening of [[appose]] and [[oppose]].^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline)^(Hoad 1986)

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /pəʊz/ ''(UK)''; /poʊz/ ''(US)''^(Wiktionary)

+

+ {{homograph|1|place, posture}}

+

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=borrowing|attested=c. 1378|origins=la-lat pauso}}

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is Middle English posen, [[bor|fro|poser|t=to put, place, propose]],^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline)^(MWU 2024) from Late Latin [[m|la-lat|pauso|alt=pausāre|t=to halt, rest, cease]] (see [[pause]]).^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988)^(Hoad 1986) The Late Latin verb also meant to cause to rest, and in the Romance languages it took over the senses of Latin [[m|la|pono|alt=pōnere|t=to put, place]], through confusion with its stem pos-.^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988)^(Hoad 1986) Skeat noted that English compose, depose, impose and propose therefore match the Latin compounds of pōnere in sense but not in origin.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ To suggest, suppose, assume for argument: about 1378, in ''Piers Plowman''.^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ To place something, put into a situation, is from before 1425, in Wycliffe.^(Barnhart 1988) To lay down a claim is 16th-century,^(Hoad 1986) and to set forth a question or problem later.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023) To place in or assume an attitude, as for a portrait, is from the 19th century,^(Hoad 1986) and the noun, a posture assumed for effect, from 1818, after French.^(Etymonline)^(OED 1989)^(MWU 2024) An attitude of mind or conduct is figurative from 1884.^(Etymonline) To pretend to be what one is not, ''pose as'', is a further sense.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023) An earlier English noun pose, a deposit or hoard, is from the mid-15th century.^(Etymonline)^(OED 1989)^(Wright 1898)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * c. 1378 – to suppose.^(Barnhart 1988)

+ * before 1425 – to place.^(Barnhart 1988)

+ * mid-15th century – a hoard (noun).^(Etymonline)

+ * 1818 – a posture (noun).^(OED 1989)

+ * 1884 – an attitude of mind.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Verb===

+ # To take or hold a position, as for a portrait or photograph.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # To place a model in a position.^(AHD)

+ # To put forward or present: ''to pose a question'', ''to pose a threat''.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # ''(pose as)'' To pretend to be what one is not.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # To adopt an attitude to impress others.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+

+ ===Noun===

+ # A position of the body, especially one held for an artist or photographer.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # An attitude adopted for effect.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[poser]]

+ * [[poseur]]

+

+ {{homograph|2|puzzle}}

+

+ {{infobox|confidence=uncertain|formation=clipping|attested=1526}}

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is partly from Middle French poser, to suppose, assume,^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline) and partly a shortening of English [[appose]], to examine closely (before 1333),^(Barnhart 1988)^(Hoad 1986) and of [[oppose]] in the same sense.^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ To question, interrogate closely: 1526, in Tyndale's New Testament.^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ To puzzle completely, to nonplus, is from 1593, in Donne,^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline) and a ''poser'', a puzzling problem, from the 18th century.^(Hoad 1986)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 1526 – to interrogate.^(Barnhart 1988)

+ * 1593 – to puzzle.^(Barnhart 1988)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Verb===

+ # ''(archaic)'' To puzzle, confuse or baffle.^(AHD)

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[appose]]

+ * [[compose]]

+ * [[depose]]

+ * [[dispose]]

+ * [[expose]]

+ * [[impose]]

+ * [[juxtapose]]

+ * [[oppose]]

+ * [[presuppose]]

+ * [[propose]]

+ * [[repose]]

+ * [[suppose]]

+ * [[transpose]]

+ * [[pause]]

+ * [[position]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ The OED also has a pose meaning a cold in the head, catarrh, from about 1000.^(OED 1989)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}