I. ˈpōst noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English, from Old English; akin to Old Frisian, Middle Dutch, & Middle Low German post, Old High German pfosto; all from a prehistoric West Germanic word borrowed from Latin postis; akin to Old English fierst, first ridgepole, Middle Low German verst, Old High German first ridgepole, Greek pastas porch, colonnade, Sanskrit pṛṣṭha back, roof, top; all from a prehistoric Indo-European compound whose 1st constituent is akin to Sanskrit pra- before, forward, and whose 2d constituent is akin to Latin stare to stand — more at for , stand
1. : a piece of timber or other solid substance (as metal) fixed or intended to be fixed firmly in an upright position especially as a stay or support : pillar , prop : as
a. : a square timber set on end to support a structural member (as a wall or girder) especially at a corner of a building : upright , column
b. : one of the pillars supporting an arch or lintel : doorjamb , gatepost
c. : one of the stakes of a fence or railing : picket
d. : sternpost
e. : one of the main upright timbers of a framed set in mining : studdle
f. : the pin of a pinlock
g. : binding post 1
h. : binding post 2
2. : a pole or stake set up to mark or indicate: as
a. : a boundary marker
b. : a stand for the display of public notices
c. : a pole marking the starting point or the finishing point in horse racing
starting post
winning post
3. : an upright metal blade forming the front sight of a firearm
II. transitive verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
1. : to affix (as a paper or bill) to a post, wall, or other usual place for public notices : placard
post the notice on the bulletin board
signs are posted throughout the state
2.
a. : to publish, announce, or advertise by or as if by the use of a placard
the students' grades are posted
the yardmaster … posts the track number — Monsanto Magazine
the posted price for … crude oil — New York Times
b. : to denounce (as a person or institution) by public notice
posted the theater as unfair — Upton Sinclair
harry and post a man for his losings — Rudyard Kipling
c. : to enter (a name) on a public listing
nurses posted for night duty
posted missing in the flood — John Blight
d. : to forbid (property) to trespassers under penalty of legal prosecution by notices placed along the boundaries
post a brook
wandering around posted property — Ronald Sercombe
e. : to gain recognition for (a score or performance)
posted a 69 to take the first-round lead
posted an average of 177.34 miles per hour
III. adjective
: of or relating to the start or to the post at the starting point of a horse or dog race
post position
post time
IV. noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle French poste relay station, man stationed at a relay station, post, from Old Italian posta place assigned to a horse in a stable, relay station, from posta, feminine of posto (past participle of porre to put), from Latin positus, past participle of ponere to put, place — more at position
1.
a. obsolete
(1) : one of the men stationed or appointed in a series of places along a through road to go each from his station to the next with the state packet of dispatches and letters
(2) : one so stationed or appointed to carry letters generally
(3) : one appointed to furnish a change of horses to through messengers carrying such matter
b. : a special carrier of messages or letters : courier ; especially : one following a fixed route
c. chiefly Scotland : a postal carrier : postman
d. : a vehicle or ship used to carry the mails
2. archaic
a. : one of a series of stations for keeping horses for relays
b. : the distance between any two such consecutive stations : stage
3. chiefly Britain
a. : a nation's organization or system for handling the transmission of letters and other matter : mail 3a
a letter delayed in the post
exchange of books by post — Thomas Joy
b. : the matter sent or received : mail 3b
delivered his post to a house and moved on — Cyril Cusack
c.
(1) : a single dispatch of mail
catch the last post with it — Arnold Bennett
(2) : the matter received in the mail at one time or by one person : mail 2b
the post came with tea — Cecil Beaton
d. : post office
e. : postbox
f. : postage 3
4. : general post 1
5. : the act of posting in horseback riding
the rhythm of a post is not difficult once it has been achieved
V. verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
intransitive verb
1.
a. : to travel with post-horses
posting in private carriages … the most comfortable and convenient method of traveling — Hugh McCausland
b. : to ride or travel with haste : hurry
off he posted to Louisville — S.H.Adams
2. : to rise forward and upward from a riding saddle when one diagonal pair of the horse's legs is off the ground and to return to the saddle when the opposite diagonal pair is off the ground supporting one's weight primarily by the knees and thighs
3. : to dispatch mail
not only shopped early but posted early — Rose Macaulay
transitive verb
1.
a. archaic : to dispatch (a person) in haste
b. obsolete : to convey speedily
c. obsolete : to dispatch by a post or messenger
2. : mail
stroll down the street to post a letter — Elspeth Huxley
3.
a. : to transfer or carry (an entry or item) from a book of original entry to the proper account in a ledger : transfer (an entry or item) from one record to another
b.
(1) : to complete (a ledger) by the transfer and proper entry of all items from antecedent books — used usually with up
post up the general ledger
(2) : to make transfer entries in (all books) to complete the record
post up the books for the month
4. : to make (a person) familiar with a subject : inform
is better posted than … his audience — A.T.Weaver
keep them posted as to what is going on — Shipley Thomas
— used sometimes with up
shows himself thoroughly posted up — Times Literary Supplement
VI. adverb
Etymology: post (IV) (as in the phrase to ride in post )
: with post -horses : like a courier : at full speed : express
journeying post
ride post
VII. noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle French poste, from Old Italian posto, from past participle of porre to put — more at post IV
1.
a. : the place at which a soldier is stationed ; especially : the fixed locality or stretch of ground guarded and patrolled by a sentry or outpost
walking his post as ordered
b. : the prescribed place (as for an officer or for the colors) in a formation of troops
c. : the place at which a body of troops is stationed : camp , fort
every noncoms' club on the post — James Jones
d.
(1) : a local subdivision of a veteran's organization (as the American Legion)
(2) : a unit of five or more explorers (as of the Boy Scouts of America) corresponding to a boy scout troop
e. : one of two bugle calls sounded at tattoo (as in the British Army)
last post
2.
a. : a station or position especially to which a person is assigned
post of duty
post of danger
we took post close to the … fence — S.P.B.Mais
heroes still at their posts — Wynford Vaughn-Thomas
b. : shooting position (as in field archery or skeet)
c. : a position taken by a player in basketball as a focal point of offensive attack
3. : an office or position to which a person is appointed
a good post in the public service
held various posts — Lamp
teaching posts in our colleges — E.J.Simmons
4.
a. : trading post , settlement
sent medical supplies to the outlying post
b. : a station on the floor of a stock exchange at which trade in a particular issue or group of issues is carried on
VIII. transitive verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
1.
a. : to station in a given place
window where she had posted herself for observation — Owen Wister
repair ships … are posted along the route — Robert Pocock
b. : to assign (a sentry) to a post
posted picket sentries — Charles Beadle
c. : to carry (the national flag) ceremoniously to a designated position
posting the colors
d. : to place (a chessman) on a square for continued occupancy
the bishop and queen are badly posted — New Complete Hoyle
2. chiefly Britain : to assign to a unit or location (as in the military or civil service)
posted to a regiment — Earle Birney
posted to his home district — Scots Magazine
3.
a. : to lay down (as money or a deposit) : put up (a stake)
b. : to furnish (as bond) to the proper authority
posted bail for the suspect
post the collateral required
IX. noun
( -s )
Etymology: origin unknown
1. : a pile of wet sheets of handmade paper interleaved with felt in papermaking
2. : a charge of ore for a smelting furnace
X. adverb
Etymology: Latin — more at post-
: lying behind : posterior in position
post diaphragmatic organs
XI. noun
( -s )
Etymology: by shortening
slang : postmortem
a report on the post
XII. transitive verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
slang : to conduct a postmortem on (a body)
the corpse had been posted
XIII. abbreviation
postal
XIV. transitive verb
Etymology: post (II)
: to publish (as a message) in an on-line forum (as an electronic bulletin board)
XV. noun
or posting
Etymology: post (IV)
: something (as a message) that is published on-line