position (n.)

late 1390-1399 century., posicioun, as a term in logic and philosophy, “statement of belief, the laying down of a proposition or thesis,” from Old French posicion “position, supposition” (Modern French position) and directly from Latin positionem (nominative positio) “act or fact of placing, situation, position, affirmation,” noun of state from past-participle stem of ponere “put, place.” Watkins tentatively identifies this as from PIE *po-s(i)nere, from *apo- “off, away” (see apo-) + *sinere “to leave, let” (see site). But de Vaan identifies it as from Proto-Italic *posine-, from PIE *tkine- “to build, live,” from root *tkei- “to settle, dwell, be home” (see home (n.)).

The meaning “place occupied by a person or thing” especially a proper or appropriate place, is from 1540s; hence “status, standing, social rank” (1832); “official station, employment” (1890). The meaning “manner in which some physical thing is arranged or posed, aggregate of the spatial relations of a body or figure to other such bodies or figures” is recorded by 1703; specifically in reference to dance steps, 1778, to sexual intercourse, 1883. Military sense of “place occupied or to be occupied” is by 1781.

also from late 1390-1399 century

position (v.)

1670s, “to assume a position” (intransitive), from position (n.). Transitive sense of “place or put in relation to other objects,” now the usual meaning, is recorded from 1817. Related: Positioned; positioning.

also from 1670s

Entries linking to position

home (n.)

Old English ham “dwelling place, house, abode, fixed residence; estate; village; region, country,” from Proto-Germanic *haimaz “home” (source also of Old Frisian hem “home, village,” Old Norse heimr “residence, world,” heima “home,” Danish hjem, Middle Dutch heem, German heim “home,” Gothic haims “village”), from PIE *(t)koimo-, suffixed form of root *tkei- “to settle, dwell, be home.” As an adjective from 1550s. The old Germanic sense of “village” is preserved in place names and in hamlet.

‘Home’ in the full range and feeling of [Modern English] home is a conception that belongs distinctively to the word home and some of its Gmc. cognates and is not covered by any single word in most of the IE languages. [Buck]

Slang phrase make (oneself) at home “become comfortable in a place one does not live” dates from 1892 (at home “at one’s ease” is from 1510s). To keep the home fires burning is a song title from 1914. To be nothing to write home about “unremarkable” is from 1907. Home movie is from 1919; home computer is from 1967. Home stretch (1841) is from horse racing (see stretch (n.)). Home economics as a school course first attested 1899; the phrase itself by 1879 (as “household management” is the original literal sense of economy, the phrase is etymologically redundant).

Home as the goal in a sport or game is from 1778. Home base in baseball attested by 1856; home plate by 1867. Home team in sports is from 1869; home field “grounds belonging to the local team” is from 1802 (the 1800 citation in OED 2nd ed. print is a date typo, as it refers to baseball in Spokane Falls). Home-field advantage attested from 1955.

site (n.)

“place or position occupied by something,” especially with reference to environment, also “land on which a building stands, location of a village,” late 14c., from Anglo-French site, Old French site “place, site; position,” and directly from Latin situs “a place, position, situation, location, station; idleness, sloth, inactivity; forgetfulness; the effects of neglect,” from past participle of sinere “let, leave alone, permit” (from PIE *si-tu-, from root *tkei- “to settle, dwell, be home”).

apposite
apposition
component
composite
composition
compositor
compost
compote
compound
contraposition
decomposite
deponent
deposit
depot
dispose
expose
exposition
expound
See all related words (44) >

Trends of position

adapted from books.google.com/ngrams/. Ngrams are probably unreliable.

More to Explore

apposition “application” (of one thing to another), mid-15c., originally in grammatical sense “the relation to a noun or pronoun of another noun or clause added to it by way of explanation,” from Latin appositionem (nominative appositio) “a setting before,” noun of action from past-particip

component 1640s, “constituent part or element” (earlier “one of a group of persons,” 1560s), from Latin componentem (nominative componens), present participle of componere “to put together, to collect a whole from several parts,” from com “with, together” (see com-) + ponere “to place” (se

composite “made up of distinct parts or elements,” c. 1400, from Old French composite, from Latin compositus “placed together,” past participle of componere “to put together, to collect a whole from several parts,” from com “with, together” (see com-) + ponere “to place” (past participle p

place mid-15c., placen, “to determine the position of;” also “to put (something) in a particular place or position,” from place…The meaning “put or set (a number of things) in position or order, arrange” is from 1540s. Related: Placed; placing….The horse racing sense of “to achieve a certain position” (usually in the top three finishers; in U.S., specifically second…place) is attested by 1924, from earlier meaning “to state the position of” (among the first three finishers), 1826….

situation early 15c., situacioun, “place, position, or location,” from Old French situacion or directly from Medieval Latin situationem…(nominative situatio) “a position, situation,” noun of action from past-participle stem of situare “to place, locate,” from…Latin situs “a place, position” (from PIE root *tkei- “to settle, dwell, be home”)….The meaning “state of affairs, position with reference to circumstances” is from 1710; the meaning “employment, post, office…

on “in a position above and in contact with; in such a position as to be supported by;” also noting the goal to which some action…is or has been directed; “about, concerning, regarding; in a position to cover;” as an adverb, “in or into a position in…

steadfast (c. 1200), from Old English stedefæst “secure in position, steady, firm in its place,” from stede “place, position” (see…

chair “a seat with a back, intended for one person,” early 13c., chaere, from Old French chaiere “chair, seat, throne” (12c.; Modern French chaire “pulpit, throne;” the humbler sense having gone since 16c. with the variant form chaise), from Latin cathedra “seat” (see cathedral). The f

recess 1530s, “act of receding or going back or away” (a sense now obsolete), from Latin recessus “a going back, retreat,” from recessum, past participle of recedere “to go back, fall back; withdraw, depart, retire,” from re- “back” (see re-) + cedere “to go” (from PIE root *ked- “to go

set-up1890, “arrangement,” from the verbal phrase set up, which is attested from c. 1200 as “place in an erect position, place upright, make ready for use;” from set (v.) + up (adv.). From 19c. also “a favorable arrangement of the balls in billiards, etc., especially when left by one p

Source: O
https://www.etymonline.com
oxford dictionary