entry
preposition
/ˌprɛpəˈzɪʃən/Word showing a noun’s relation to another word
From Latin, ultimately Proto-Indo-European pre- (before) + Latin ponere (to put).
from Old French preposicion
from Middle English preposicioun
Word Ancestry
from Old French preposicion
from Middle English preposicioun
Picture a Roman grammarian physically placing one word in front of another: that is the scene frozen inside Latin praepositio, literally “a putting before.” The first half, prae, meant “before”; the second, ponere, meant “to put or place,” the same placing idea that eventually gave English position, positive, and proposition. Greek grammarians used a near-identical description, prothesis, “a setting before,” while Old English even tried the transparent loan-translation foresetnys. By the late 14th century, English writers had reshaped the Latin form into preposicioun and then preposition. The word’s family also wandered into social hierarchy: a provost was originally someone “placed before,” a chief or official in charge. So when a teacher says a preposition shows where something stands—under the table, beyond the hill, beside the door—the word itself is demonstrating its own lesson: it is a linguistic object placed before another.
The Story
Picture a Roman grammarian physically placing one word in front of another: that is the scene frozen inside Latin praepositio, literally “a putting before.” The first half, prae, meant “before”; the second, ponere, meant “to put or place,” the same placing idea that eventually gave English position, positive, and proposition. Greek grammarians used a near-identical description, prothesis, “a setting before,” while Old English even tried the transparent loan-translation foresetnys. By the late 14th century, English writers had reshaped the Latin form into preposicioun and then preposition. The word’s family also wandered into social hierarchy: a provost was originally someone “placed before,” a chief or official in charge. So when a teacher says a preposition shows where something stands—under the table, beyond the hill, beside the door—the word itself is demonstrating its own lesson: it is a linguistic object placed before another.
Modern Usage
An Urban Dictionary joking verb meaning to ask someone for sex using only words, illustrated with a choice between “atop” and “beneath.”
Notable References
- Urban Dictionary entry 1
Kin & Kindred
From 'pre-'·before; in front of
Derived Terms
English words from this root
From 'ponere'·to put, place, or set
Derived Terms
English words from this root