POSITION


Meaning of POSITION in English

I. pəˈzishən, pōˈ- noun

( -s )

Etymology: Middle French, from Latin position-, positio, from positus (past participle of ponere to put, place, from — assumed — Old Latin posinere, from po- away + sinere to lay, let, leave) + -ion-, -io -ion; akin to Latin post after — more at post- , site

1. : an act of placing or arranging: as

a. : an act of laying down or stating a proposition or thesis : affirmation

b. : an arranging in order (as of military forces or chess pieces)

2.

a. : a proposition or thesis laid down : assertion , statement

the proper response to the position that atomic secrets merit unique protection is not a denial but a series of questions — J.G.Palfrey

b. : the ground or point of view adopted with reference to a particular subject : mental attitude : way of thinking about or viewing something

took a radical position on the zoning issue

took the position that the law must be enforced at all costs

c. : a market commitment (as in securities or commodities)

had heavy position in steels

also : the inventory of a market trader (as a security dealer)

3. : the point or area in space actually occupied by a physical object or into which it is placed: as

a. : proper or natural location in relation to other items

the position of the heart

put the lever in operating position

: stand

took their position at the end of the line

b. : an area or locality occupied by combat units especially in a defensive operation : a location (as of a battery) from which weapons are fired

c. : geographical location

radioed the control tower for his position

4. : arrangement or ordering of parts or aspects in relation to one another or to an external source of orientation: as

a.

(1) : bodily posture

crouched in a cramped position

proper position is of the utmost importance in showing livestock

(2) : any of the postures of the feet and arms on which all steps and movements of classical ballet are based

the five positions of the feet

(3) : an arrangement of the parts of the body considered particularly desirable for some medical or surgical procedure

knee-chest position

obstetrical position

b. : any of the arrangements of surfaces with the vertical in which the movement of a timepiece is adjusted to run

c.

(1) : the disposition of the notes or tones of a chord with reference to the lowest voice part, the uppermost voice part, or their nearness to each other in pitch

open or close position

(2) : one of the points on the fingerboard of a stringed instrument where the strings are stopped by the fingers to produce various pitches

(3) : one of the seven definite degrees of extension of the trombone slide

5. : relative place, situation, or standing

man's position in nature

the economic position of the city

as

a. : social or official rank or status

a humble man satisfied with his position

especially : elevated standing

a man of position

b.

(1) : office , employment , vocation

took a position in the department of state

— often used to distinguish a superior or intellectual occupation from a job of labor

(2) : the group of tasks and responsibilities making up the duties of an employee

the position can best be filled by a college-trained man

this position involves both bookkeeping and typing

c. : a spot, situation, or condition that conveys some advantage (as against another)

maneuvering for position

6. : the condition in Greek or Latin prosody of having a short vowel followed by two consonants or a double consonant (as x or z ) making its syllable long

in vŏlvŭnt the syllables are long by position

II. verb

( positioned ; positioned ; positioning -sh(ə)niŋ ; positions )

transitive verb

: to put in a or the proper position : place , situate

positioned themselves to act at once

intransitive verb

: to assume or maintain a position

Webster's New International English Dictionary.      Новый международный словарь английского языка Webster.