[post] n [ME, fr. OE, fr. L postis; prob. akin to L por- forward and to L stare to stand--more at portend, stand] (bef. 12c) 1: a piece (as of timber or metal) fixed firmly in an upright position esp. as a stay or support: pillar, column
2: a pole or stake set up to mark or indicate something; esp: a pole that marks the starting or finishing point of a horse race
3: a metallic fitting attached to an electrical device (as a storage battery) for convenience in making connections
4: goalpost
5: the metal stem of a pierced earring
[2]post vt (1633) 1 a: to publish, announce, or advertise by or as if by use of a placard b: to denounce by public notice c: to enter on a public listing d: to forbid (property) to trespassers under penalty of legal prosecution by notices placed along the boundaries e: score "~ed a 70 in the final round"
2: to affix to a usual place (as a wall) for public notices: placard [3]post n [MF poste relay station, courier, fr. OIt posta relay station, fr. fem. of posto, pp. of porre to place, fr. L ponere--more at position] (1507) 1 obs: courier
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 Brit a: a nation's organization for handling mail; also: the mail handled b: a single dispatch of mail c: post office d: postbox [4]post vi (1533) 1: to travel with post-horses
2: to ride or travel with haste: hurry
3: to rise from the saddle and return to it in rhythm with a horse's trot ~ vt 1 archaic: to dispatch in haste
2: mail "~ a letter" 3 a: to transfer or carry from a book of original entry to a ledger b: to make transfer entries in
4: to make familiar with a subject: inform "kept her ~ed on the latest gossip" [5]post adv (1549): with post-horses: express [6]post n [MF poste, fr. OIt posto, fr. pp. of porre to place] (1598) 1 a: the place at which a soldier is stationed; esp: a sentry's beat or station b: a station or task to which one is assigned c: the place at which a body of troops is stationed: camp d: a local subdivision of a veterans' organization e: one of two bugle calls sounded (as in the British army) at tattoo
2. a: an office or position to which a person is appointed b: a player position in basketball that is the focal point of the offense; specif: pivot 2b 3 a: trading post, settlement b: a trading station on the floor of a stock exchange [7]post vt (1683) 1 a: to station in a given place "guards were ~ed at the doors" b: to carry ceremoniously to a position "~ing the colors"
2. chiefly Brit: to assign to a unit, position, or location (as in the military or civil service)
3: to put up (as bond)