posture

Where does the word "posture" come from? It comes from Latin ponere, passing through Latin, Italian and French before entering English (1600s).

Posture’s story begins in Latin: ponere meant “to place, to put.” The root of 'position', 'post' and 'deposit'. Within Latin, it grew into positura by ancient. A placing, a position of the body, from ponere. From there it passed into Italian as postura by medieval. Settled in Italian for the position or bearing of the body, from Latin positura. French picked it up next, as posture, around 1500s. Carried into French from Italian postura for the way the body is held. It reached English by 1600s as posture. Settled as the English word for the position in which someone holds their body. Today, posture means the position in which someone holds their body, or an attitude toward a situation.

1. Stage 1 · Latin · ancient ponere "to place, to put", the root of 'position', 'post' and 'deposit'.
2. Stage 2 · Latin · ancient positura "a placing, a position of the body", a placing, a position of the body, from ponere.
3. Stage 3 · Italian · medieval postura "position, posture", settled in Italian for the position or bearing of the body, from Latin positura.
4. Stage 4 · French · 1500s posture "the way the body is held", carried into French from Italian postura for the way the body is held.
5. Stage 5 · English · 1600s posture "the position in which someone holds their body", settled as the English word for the position in which someone holds their body.