Etymograph

English

posit

Posit comes from Latin positus, from pōnō ‘put, place’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *tḱey- ‘to build, cultivate’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*tḱey-‘to build, cultivate’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*tḱinétireconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*sinō‘to put in place’reconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEsame form‘to put in place’reconstructed
  5. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEpōnō‘put, place’
  6. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEpositusperfect participle of pōnō
  7. Englishearliest quotation 1908posit

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*tḱey-‘to build, cultivate’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*tḱinétireconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*sinō‘to put in place’reconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEsame form‘to put in place’reconstructed
  5. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEpōnō‘put, place’
  6. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEpositusperfect participle of pōnō
  7. Englishearliest quotation 1908posit

Earliest quotation: 1908, ARISTOTLE, Metaphysics: “some who posit both this cause and besides this…”

The story

Noun sense 3 (type of number format) was coined by American computer scientist and businessman John Gustafson in 2017.

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *tḱey- ‘to build, cultivate’

homeless, suppose, compound, hamlet, bohemian, impose, homely, hame, 51 more

through Proto-Italic *sinō ‘to put in place’

compost, impost, 40 more

through Latin *sinō ‘to put in place’

situation, site, posture, situate, compostela, prepositional, situs, 15 more

through Latin pōnō ‘put, place’

post, purpose, opponent, opposition, opposite, composition, consolation, propose, expose, proposition, dispose, compose, proponent, exposition, disposition, deposition, exponent, repository, imposition, expound, preposition, pone, presuppose, presupposition, suppository, compositor, apposite, 43 more

through Latin positus

supposition, 3 more

Today it means

noun Something that is posited; a postulate.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *tḱey- / posit

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