--- In
cybalist@yahoogroups.com, "P&G" <petegray@...> wrote:
> > > Is there any explanation or views on why English verbs
> > > of Latin origin tend to go after the perfect forms in
> > > Latin?
> > Actually, they are formed on the supine / past participle, not
the
> > perfect.
>
> Actually actually, they are formed from all three stems.
> postpone (present)
> depose (perfect -posui: supine is -positum)
No! '-pose' derives from Latin -po:nere, -posui, -positum by
contamination. I summarise the entry in the Oxford Etymological
Disctionary as follows:
English pose comes from Old French poser from late Latin
pausare 'cease, pause', whence Provençal pausar 'place, rest',
Spanish posar 'rest, lodge', Italian posare 'lay down, pose'. In
Romance this verb took over the senses of Latin po:nere, posui:,
positum 'place' and became its reglar representative (cf. appose,
compose, depose, dispose, expose, impose, interpose, oppose, repose,
suppose, transpose), the application of po:nere being specialised in
the sense 'lay eggs' (cf. French pondre)
Richard.