post
UK[pəʊst]US[poʊst]
n
A long, sturdy piece of timber or metal set upright into the ground and used as a support or marker.
n
The official system for delivering letters and parcels.
n
A job or position of employment, especially a teaching or government appointment.
n
A website or online account where messages, articles, or images are published.
v
Display a notice in a public place.
v
Send a letter or parcel via the postal system.
v
Publish a message, article, or image online.
v
Announce or publish something, especially financial results.
Etymology
The word "post" carries a core concept of placement and fixed position that has branched into diverse modern meanings. Its journey began with the Latin verb ponere ("to place"), whose past participle form gave rise to a noun denoting a stationed place or relay point for messengers. This concrete sense of a fixed spot evolved into the upright supporting pole and the idea of a military or official station. The meaning related to mail derives from the historical system of relay stations where mounted couriers would exchange horses, effectively "placing" letters along a route for rapid delivery. The digital sense of publishing information online is a direct metaphorical extension of this idea of placing a message into a public system for distribution.
Analysis
The word is a simplex. It entered English from Old French poste (meaning "station, place, relay station"), which derived from Latin posita, the feminine past participle of ponere ("to place, to put"). The Latin verb ponere itself is traced back to the Proto-Indo-European root apo- ("off, away").
Examples
The fence was held up by wooden posts.
I will post the letter on my way to work.
She shared the news in her latest social media post.