English
position
Position comes from Old French posicion, from Latin positiō ‘a putting, position’, from positus, past participle of pōnō ‘to place’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*tḱey-1‘to build’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*tḱinéti1reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*sinō1‘to put in place’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*pozinō2reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpōnō2‘to place’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpositus2‘placed’past participle of pōnō
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpositiō2‘a putting, position’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400posicion2
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500posicioun2‘position’
- Englishearliest quotation 1643position2
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, Latin sino
- 2 Wiktionary, English position
- Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1643, John Milton: “The cause therfore of divorce expres’t in the position…”.
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*tḱey-Wiktionary, Latin sino‘to build’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*tḱinétiWiktionary, Latin sinoreconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*sinōWiktionary, Latin sino‘to put in place’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*pozinōWiktionary, English positionreconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpōnōWiktionary, English position‘to place’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpositusWiktionary, English position‘placed’past participle of pōnō
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpositiōWiktionary, English position‘a putting, position’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400posicionWiktionary, English position
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500posiciounWiktionary, English position‘position’
- Englishearliest quotation 1643positionWiktionary, English position. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1643, John Milton: “The cause therfore of divorce expres’t in the position…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *tḱey- ‘to build, cultivate’
homeless, suppose, compound, hamlet, impose, bohemian, homely, hame, 61 more
through Proto-Italic *sinō ‘to put in place’
through Latin *sinō ‘to put in place’
site, situation, posture, situate, compostela, situs, 18 more
through Latin pōnō ‘to place’
post, purpose, opposite, opponent, propose, expose, dispose, compose, consolation, proponent, repository, exponent, expound, presuppose, suppository, pone, compositor, apposite, prepositional, 52 more
Today it means
noun A place or location.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “position”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Latin sino. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *tḱey- / position