poseur
UK[pəʊˈzɜː(r)]US[poʊˈzɜːr]
n
a person who behaves in a way that is intended to impress others by pretending to have knowledge, culture, or social grace that they do not really possess.
Morpheme Breakdown
pose
eur
pose
to place, to assume
eur
agent suffix
Etymology
the word 'poseur' entered english in the late 19th century directly from french, where it is the agent noun derived from the verb 'poser'. the french 'poser' itself has a complex lineage, stemming from a confluence of latin 'pausare' (to stop, to cease) and latin 'ponere' (to place, to put). the semantic shift from a physical act of placing or pausing to the abstract act of assuming a false attitude or character is central to the word's meaning. thus, a 'poseur' is literally 'one who places or puts on' an affectation—a person who adopts a deceptive posture to create a specific impression.
Analysis
Structure: pose (to place, to assume) + eur (agent suffix)
pose: from french 'poser', meaning 'to place, to put, to assume (a role)'. ultimately from latin 'pausare' (to cease, to rest) and influenced by latin 'ponere' (to place). in this word, it carries the sense of 'assuming an attitude'.
eur: a french agent noun suffix, equivalent to english '-er', indicating a person who performs the action of the verb.
Examples
he dismissed the art critic as a mere poseur who used jargon to mask his lack of understanding.
she grew tired of the downtown scene, filled with poseurs trying to appear more avant-garde than they were.
his affected accent and name-dropping quickly revealed him to be a poseur.