Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “poser” come from?

Poser comes from Old French -er, Latin -are, Latin -arius, Proto-Indo-European bew-, and Ancient Greek παῦσις meaning cessation or pause.

poser (English): A particularly difficult question or puzzle;...

Definitions

  1. A particularly difficult question or puzzle;...

Ancestry of “poser”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishposéStanding still, with all the feet on the ground
2Frenchposépast participle of poser; placed, posed
3Frenchposerto stop carrying, to put down; to ask; to land
4Old Frenchposerto put; to place; to suggest; to propose; to...
5Vulgar Latinpausoto blin, cease, pause; I halt, cease, pause; I...
6Latinpausaa pause, halt, stop, cessation, end
7Ancient Greekπαῦσιςstopping, ceasing
8Ancient Greek-σῐς"suffix forming nouns"
9Ancient Greek-τιςEarlier form of -σις , retained after dentals δ,...
10Proto-Indo-European-tisDerives abstract/action nouns from verb roots

Words derived from “poser”

  • poserish
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -tis →