LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
noun · femininethird declension

positiō

positiō f (genitive positiōnis)
Classical[pɔˈsɪ.ti.oː]Ecclesiastical[poˈs̬it.t͡si.o]

Meaning

  1. position, place
  2. framing
  3. theme
  4. planting (of crops)
  5. lie (of land)
  6. attitude

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominativepositiōpositiōnēs
genitivepositiōnispositiōnum
dativepositiōnīpositiōnibus
accusativepositiōnempositiōnēs
ablativepositiōnepositiōnibus
vocativepositiōpositiōnēs

pŏsĭtĭo, ōnis, f. pono,
I. a putting, placing, setting (post-Aug.; in Cic. Fl. 26, 62, possessione is the correct reading).
I. Lit.: calicis positio, Front. Aquaed. 36: surculi, Col. 3, 17: linearum, id. 3, 3 fin.: brassicae, id. 11, 3, 24.—
B. Transf., a position of the body or of places, a posture, situation: corporis nostri positio, Sen. Q. N. 1, 16, 7: caeli locique, Col. 3, 4, 1: loci, Quint. 3, 7, 26: pro situ et positione locorum, id. 3, 21, 9: Italiae procurrentis, Plin. 37, 13, 77, § 201: uniuscujusque stellarum forma et positio, Gell. 14, 1.—
II. Trop.
A. A placing, use of a word: μετωνυμία est nominis pro nomine positio, Quint. 8, 6, 23; 1, 5, 51.—
2. In partic., affirmation: paupertas non per positionem sed per detractionem dicitur, Sen. Ep. 87, 39.—
B. Transf.
1. In rhet., a proposition, theme, subject, argument, Quint. 2, 10, 15; 7, 4, 40.—
2. In gram., an ending, termination, Quint. 1, 5, 60; so id. 1, 5, 65; 1, 6, 10; 12; 22.—
3. In prosody.
a. A downward beat, in marking time: a sublatione ad positionem, Quint. 9, 4, 48; so id. 9, 4, 55; Mart. Cap. 9, § 981; so of the voice (opp. elevatio), Isid. 1, 16, 21.—
b. Positio syllabae, the place of a short vowel before two consonants, by which the syllable becomes long, position, Quint. 1, 5, 28; 9, 4, 86; Diom. p. 423 P. et saep.—
4. A state of mind, mood: in quācumque positione mentis sim, Sen. Ep. 64, 3.—
5. Positiones, circumstances of a thing, Quint. 7, 4, 40.

Origins

From the supine stem of pōnō (“put, place”) + -tiō.

Descendants
  • Catalanposició
  • Englishposition
  • Frenchposition
  • Italianposizione
  • Occitanposicion
  • Occitanpausicion
  • Portugueseposição
  • Romanianpoziție
  • Romanianpusăciune
  • Spanishposición

Quick answers

What does positiō mean in Latin?
positiō, a noun, means “position, place; framing; theme”.
What is the genitive of positiō?
The genitive singular is positiōnis. positiō is feminine, third declension.
How do you pronounce positiō?
In classical Latin, [pɔˈsɪ.ti.oː]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [poˈs̬it.t͡si.o].