Where does “post” come from?
Post comes from Latin postis, meaning a stake or door-post, which developed into the modern English sense of a vertical support or position.
post (English): A long dowel or plank protruding from the ground;...
Definitions
- A long dowel or plank protruding from the ground;...
Ancestry of “post”, step by step
post traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.
via Middle French poste
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle French | poste | — |
| 2 | Italian | posta | mail, post; post office; stakes |
| 3 | Italian | posto | place, spot |
| 4 | Latin | positus | placed; ordained |
| 5 | Latin | pōnō | to place; to put; to lay |
| 6 | Proto-Italic | poznō | — |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | pozinō | — |
| 8 | Proto-Italic | sinō | — |
via Latin post
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Latin | post | behind; after, since, besides, except; behind,... |
| 2 | Latin | poste | ablative singular of postis |
| 3 | Proto-Italic | posti | behind, after |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | pósti | after |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | pós | afterwards, post; by, at |
via English post mortem
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | post mortem | Having been inflicted or having occurred after... |
| 2 | Latin | mortem | accusative singular of mors |
| 3 | Proto-Indo-European | mértis | death |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | mer- | to die; to disappear; sea, lake, wetland |