*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of pose

From Middle English pose, from Old English ġeposu pl (“cold in the head; catarrh”, literally “(the) sneezes; (the) snorts”), from Old English pos, ġepos (“sneeze, snort”), from Proto-West Germanic *pos, from Proto-German

3 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 3 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗
noun

Common cold, head cold; catarrh.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Middle English pose, from Old English ġeposu pl (“cold in the head; catarrh”, literally “(the) sneezes; (the) snorts”), from Old English pos, ġepos (“sneeze, snort”), from Proto-West Germanic *pos, from Proto-Germanic *pusą (“sneeze, snort”), from Proto-Germanic *pusōną, *pusjaną (“to snort, blow”), from *pus- (“to blow, breathe hard”), from Proto-Indo-European *bew- (“to blow, swell”). Compare Low German pusten (“to blow, puff”), German dialectal pfausen (“to sneeze, snort”), Norwegian dialectal pysa (“to blow”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

  • Inherited-form mentionposeenm
  • Inherited-form mentionġeposuang · cold in the head; catarrh
  • Derivation mentionposang
  • Inherited-form mention*posgmw-pro
  • Inherited-form mention*pusągem-pro · sneeze, snort
  • Derivation mention*pusōnągem-pro
  • Derivation mention*bew-ine-pro · to blow, swell
  • Cognate mentionpustennds · to blow, puff
Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "pose"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English pose"
    },
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      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "ġeposu",
        "t": "cold in the head; catarrh",
        "lit": "(the) sneezes; (the) snorts",
        "g": "p"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English ġeposu pl (“cold in the head; catarrh”, literally “(the) sneezes; (the) snorts”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "pos"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English pos"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gmw-pro",
        "3": "*pos"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-West Germanic *pos"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gem-pro",
        "3": "*pusą",
        "t": "sneeze, snort"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Germanic *pusą (“sneeze, snort”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gem-pro",
        "3": "*pusōną"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Germanic *pusōną"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine-pro",
        "3": "*bew-",
        "t": "to blow, swell"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Indo-European *bew- (“to blow, swell”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "nds",
        "2": "pusten",
        "t": "to blow, puff"
      },
      "expansion": "Low German pusten (“to blow, puff”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "pose",
      "pose#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "ġeposu",
      "geposu#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "pos",
      "pos#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "ġepos",
      "gepos#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "*pos",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/pos"
    ],
    [
      "*pusą",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/pusą"
    ],
    [
      "*pusōną",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/pusōną"
    ],
    [
      "*pusjaną",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/pusjaną"
    ],
    [
      "*pus-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/pus-"
    ],
    [
      "*bew-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/bew-"
    ],
    [
      "pusten",
      "pusten#Low_German"
    ],
    [
      "pfausen",
      "pfausen#German"
    ],
    [
      "pysa",
      "pysa#Norwegian"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
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      "glosses": [
        "Common cold, head cold; catarrh."
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}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
noun

Position, posture, arrangement (especially of the human body). · Affectation.

verb

To place in an attitude or fixed position, for the sake of effect. · To ask; to set (a test, quiz, riddle, etc.). · To constitute (a danger, a threat, a risk, etc.). · To falsely impersonate (another person or occupation) primarily for the purpose of accomplishing something or reaching a goal.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Middle English posen, from Old French poser (“to put, place, stell, settle, lodge”), from Vulgar Latin pausāre (“to blin, cease, pause”), from Latin pausa (“pause”), from Ancient Greek παῦσις (paûsis); influenced by Latin pōnere. Doublet of pause.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

  • Inherited-form mentionposenenm
  • Derivation mentionposerfro · to put, place, stell, settle, lodge
  • Derivation mentionpausala · pause
  • Derivation mentionπαῦσιςgrc
  • Derivation mentionponola
  • Doublet mentionpauseen

This page abbreviates 4 auxiliary source items. The etymology narrative is not shortened. Omission counts are available in the audit fields below; consult the original for complete auxiliary material.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "posen"
      },
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    },
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        "2": "fro",
        "3": "poser",
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        "3": "pauso",
        "4": "pausāre",
        "5": "to blin, cease, pause"
      },
      "expansion": "Vulgar Latin pausāre (“to blin, cease, pause”)"
    },
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      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "pausa",
        "t": "pause"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin pausa (“pause”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "grc",
        "3": "παῦσις",
        "4": ""
      },
      "expansion": "Ancient Greek παῦσις (paûsis)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "pono",
        "4": "pōnere"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin pōnere"
    },
    {
      "name": "doublet",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "pause"
      },
      "expansion": "Doublet of pause"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "posen",
      "posen#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "poser",
      "poser#Old_French"
    ],
    [
      "pausāre",
      "pauso#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "pausa",
      "pausa#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "παῦσις",
      "παῦσις#Ancient_Greek"
    ],
    [
      "pōnere",
      "pono#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "pause",
      "pause#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
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      "glosses": [
        "Position, posture, arrangement (especially of the human body).",
        "Affectation."
      ],
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        "To constitute (a danger, a threat, a risk, etc.).",
        "To falsely impersonate (another person or occupation) primarily for the purpose of accomplishing something or reaching a goal."
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Source etymology 3

Original entry ↗
verb

To ask (someone) questions; to interrogate. · to puzzle, non-plus, or embarrass with difficult questions. · To perplex or confuse (someone).

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Middle English posen, a combination of aphetic forms of Middle English aposen and opposen. More at appose, oppose.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

  • Inherited-form mentionposenenm
  • Derivation mentionaposenenm
Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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        "3": "posen"
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    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "aposen"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English aposen"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "posen",
      "posen#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "aposen",
      "aposen#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
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      "opposen#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "appose",
      "appose"
    ],
    [
      "oppose",
      "oppose"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
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      "glosses": [
        "To ask (someone) questions; to interrogate.",
        "to puzzle, non-plus, or embarrass with difficult questions.",
        "To perplex or confuse (someone)."
      ],
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        "obsolete",
        "archaic"
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Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for pose →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-cG9zZQ