Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “imposing” come from?

Imposing derives from English impose, from Middle French imposer, from Latin imponere, formed from the prefix in- and ponere meaning "to place," ultimately from Proto-Indo-European ne.

imposing (English): present participle of impose; Magnificent and...

Definitions

  1. present participle of impose; Magnificent and...

Ancestry of “imposing”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishimposeTo establish or apply by authority; to be an...
2Middle Englishimposen—
3Middle Frenchimposerto lay on, impose
4Latinimponeresecond-person singular future passive indicative...
5LatinimponoI place on or upon, set upon, lay upon; I impose...
6Latinim-Alternative form of in-; form of "in"; in
7Latinīn-—
8Latinîn—
9Latinenlookǃ beholdǃ; reallyǃ?; come onǃ
10Proto-Italicenin
11Proto-Indo-Europeanh₁énin

Words derived from “imposing”

  • imposingly
  • unimposing
  • imposingness
  • unimposingly
  • unimposingness
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₁én →