post

Etymology 1

From Old English post (“pillar, door-post”) and Latin postis (“a post, a door-post”) through Old French.

noun

1. A long dowel or plank protruding from the ground; a fencepost; a lightpost.
   ram a post into the ground
2. (construction) A stud; a two-by-four.
3. A pole in a battery.
4. (dentistry) A long, narrow piece inserted into a root canal to provide retention for a crown.
5. (vocal music, chiefly a cappella) A prolonged final melody note, among moving harmony notes.
6. (paper, printing">printing) A printing">printing paper size measuring 19.25 inches x 15.5 inches.
7. (sports) A goalpost.
   But they marginally improved after the break as Didier Drogba hit the post. December 29, 2010, Chris Whyatt, “Chelsea 1 - 0 Bolton”, in BBC
8. A location on a basketball court near the basket.
9. (obsolete) The doorpost of a victualler's shop or inn, on which were chalked the scores of customers; hence, a score; a debt.
   when God ſends coyne, 1600, Samuel Rowlands, The knauve of clubs
10. The vertical part of a crochet stitch.

verb

1. (transitive) To hang (a notice) in a conspicuous manner for general review.
   Post no bills.
2. To hold up to public blame or reproach; to advertise opprobriously; to denounce by public proclamation.
   to post someone for cowardice
   On Pain of being posted to your Sorrow Fail not, at Four, to meet me here To-morrow. 1732, George Granville, Epilogue to the She-Gallants, line 13
3. (accounting) To carry (an account) from the journal to the ledger.
4. To inform; to give the news to; to make acquainted with the details of a subject; often with up.
   thoroughly posted up in the politics and literature of the day March 2 1872, “Interviewing a Prince”, in Saturday Review, volume 33, number 853, London, page 273
5. (transitive) To deposit a payment that may or may not be returned.
   1. (gambling) To pay (a stake or blind).
      Since Jim was new to the game, he had to post $4 in order to receive a hand.
   2. (law) To pay bail.
      to post bail
      For example, if the police or court sets bail at $1,000, and a suspect owns a fancy watch worth at least that amount, the defendant may be able to use the watch to post bail. 2022-01-01, Paul Bergman, Sara J. Berman, The Criminal Law Handbook: Know Your Rights, Survive the System, Nolo
      Because wealthy defendants are better positioned to post bail or provide collateral, the American bail system has been criticized as being biased against the poor. 2010-05-18, David Andrew Schultz, Encyclopedia of the United States Constitution, Infobase Publishing, page 45
      Carmen posted a $15,000 bond, and like the other Valenzuelas before her, failed to appear for trial. Morgan's scorecard for case 4: 4.4 pounds seized, 2 Valenzuelas arrested, 1 Valenzuela dismissed, 1 bail jump. 2006 05, Robert Perry, Dirty Money, iUniverse, page 34
      When you post bail, and the case is over, the court system will take 30 percent of that bail which, in this example, will be $3,000 of the original 10 percent that you posted. Hence, you will get $7,000 back. 1996, Lee N. June, Matthew Parker, Men to Men: Perspectives of Sixteen African-American Christian Men, Harper Collins, page 201

Etymology 2

Borrowed from Middle French poste, from Italian posta (“stopping-place for coaches”), feminine of posto (“placed, situated”).

noun

1. (obsolete) Each of a series of men stationed at specific places along a postroad, with responsibility for relaying letters and dispatches of the monarch (and later others) along the route.
2. (dated) A station, or one of a series of stations, established for the refreshment and accommodation of travellers on some recognized route.
   a stage or railway post
3. A military base; the place at which a soldier or a body of troops is stationed; also, the troops at such a station.
4. (now historical) Someone who travels express along a set route carrying letters and dispatches; a courier.
   In certain places there be always fresh posts, to carry that further which is brought unto them by the other.
   information was filtered through the counting-houses and warehouses of Antwerp; posts galloped along the roads of the Low Countries, while dispatches streamed through Calais, and were passed off the merchant galleys arriving in London from the Flanders ports. 2011, Thomas Penn, Winter King: Henry VII and the Dawn of Tudor England, Penguin, published 2012, page 199
5. (UK, Australia, New Zealand) An organisation for delivering letters, parcels etc., or the service provided by such an organisation.
   sent via post; parcel post
   I take it too as an opportunity of sending you the fair copy of the poem on Dullness, which was not then finished, and which I should not care to hazard by the common post. 1707, Alexander Pope, Letter VII (to Mr. Wycherly), November 11
6. (UK, Australia, New Zealand) A single delivery of letters; the letters or deliveries that make up a single batch delivered to one person or one address.
   Royal Mail worker Evette Chapman gathered a team of 12 colleagues to deliver post in fancy dress and raise money for a nurses' charity and patients in Musgrove Park Hospital, Taunton. November 18 2020, “Stop & Examine”, in Rail, page 71
7. A message posted in an electronic or Internet forum, or on a blog, etc.
8. (American football) A moderate to deep passing route in which a receiver runs 10-20 yards from the line of scrimmage straight down the field, then cuts toward the middle of the field (towards the facing goalposts) at a 45-degree angle.
   Two of the receivers ran post patterns.
9. (obsolete) Haste or speed, like that of a messenger or mail carrier.
10. (obsolete) One who has charge of a station, especially a postal station.
    there he held the office of postmaster, or, as it was then called, post, for several years. 1858, John Gorham Palfrey, chapter IV, in History of New England, volume 1, page 136

verb

1. To travel with relays of horses; to travel by post horses, originally as a courier.
2. To travel quickly; to hurry.
   thousand at his bidding speed, And post o'er land and ocean without rest; They also serve who only stand and wait. c. 1652, John Milton, "On His Blindness", line 13
3. (UK, Australia, New Zealand) To send (an item of mail etc.) through the postal service.
   Mail items posted before 7.00pm within the Central Business District and before 5.00pm outside the Central Business District will be delivered the next working day.
4. (horse-riding) To rise and sink in the saddle, in accordance with the motion of the horse, especially in trotting.
5. (Internet) To publish (a message) to a newsgroup, forum, blog, etc.
   I couldn't figure it out, so I posted a question on the mailing list.

adv

1. With the post, on post-horses; by a relay of horses (changing at every staging-post); hence, express, with speed, quickly.
   We therefore determined to change Horses at the next Town and to travel Post the remainder of the Journey. 1790, Jane Austen, “Love and Freindship”, in Juvenilia
2. Sent via the postal service.

Etymology 3

Probably from French poste.

noun

1. An assigned station; a guard post.
   From the ground, Colombo’s port does not look like much. Those entering it are greeted by wire fences, walls dating back to colonial times and security posts. For mariners leaving the port after lonely nights on the high seas, the delights of the B52 Night Club and Stallion Pub lie a stumble away. 2013-06-08, “The new masters and commanders”, in The Economist, volume 407, number 8839, page 52
2. An appointed position in an organization, job.
   As hard as this may seem for some people to understand, my adamant stand in favor of President Clinton leaving his post was not personal. 2005, Jesse Helms, “Bill Clinton”, in Here's Where I Stand: A Memoir, New York: Random House, →LCCN, →OCLC, page 198
   She was Nicolas Sarkozy's pin-up for diversity, the first Muslim woman with north African parents to hold a major French government post. But Rachida Dati has now turned on her own party elite with such ferocity that some have suggested she should be expelled from the president's ruling party. December 14, 2011, Angelique Chrisafis, “Rachida Dati accuses French PM of sexism and elitism”, in Guardian

verb

1. To enter (a name) on a list, as for service, promotion, etc.
2. To assign to a station; to set; to place.
   Post a sentinel in front of the door.

Etymology 4

Borrowed from Latin post.

prep

1. After; especially after a significant event that has long-term ramifications.
   One of the most appealing things for me about Barack Obama has always been that he comes post the post-60s generation. 2008, Michael Tomasky, “Obama cannot let the right cast him in that 60s show”, in The Guardian
   Lew reckons he had three options for the cash-cow which was Premier post the Coles sale. 2008, Matthew Stevens, “Lew pressured to reveal what he knows”, in The Australian

Etymology 5

Clipping of post-production.

noun

1. (film, informal) Post-production.
   we'll fix it in post
   Admittedly many of these can be fixed in post, but this may limit your flexibility in other areas. 2013, Bruce Mamer, Film Production Technique: Creating the Accomplished Image

Etymology 6

Clipping of post mortem.

noun

1. (medicine, informal) A post mortem (investigation of body's cause of death).
   I gotta run. Yes, send the kid to the morgue. We'll do a post on Monday. 2010, Sandra Glahn, Informed Consent, page 306