Adjacent Words

Posture definitions

	Tweet

Webster's 1828 Dictionary

POS'TURE, n. [L. positura; pono, positus.]
1. In painting and sculpture, attitude; the situation of a figure with regard to the eye, and of the several principal members with regard to each other, by which action is expressed. Postures should be accommodated to the character of the figure, and the posture of each member to its office. Postures are natural or artificial. Natural postures are such as our ordinary actions and the occasions of life lead us to exhibit; artificial postures are such as are assumed or learnt for particular purposes, or in particular occupations, as in dancing, fencing, etc.
2. Situation; condition; particular state with regard to something else; as the posture of public affairs before or after a war.
3. Situation of the body; as an abject posture.
4. State; condition. The fort is in a posture of defense.
5. The situation or disposition of the several parts of the body with respect to each other, or with respect to a particular purpose.
He casts
His eyes against the moon in most strange postures.
The posture of a poetic figure is the description of the heroes in the performance of such or such an action.
6. Disposition; frame; as the posture of the soul.
POS'TURE, v.t. To place in a particular manner; to dispose the parts of a body for a particular purpose.
He was raw with posturing himself according to the direction of the chirurgeons.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: the arrangement of the body and its limbs; "he assumed an attitude of surrender" [syn: position, posture, attitude]
2: characteristic way of bearing one's body; "stood with good posture" [syn: carriage, bearing, posture]
3: a rationalized mental attitude [syn: position, stance, posture]
4: capability in terms of personnel and materiel that affect the capacity to fight a war; "we faced an army of great strength"; "politicians have neglected our military posture" [syn: military capability, military strength, strength, military posture, posture] v
1: behave affectedly or unnaturally in order to impress others; "Don't pay any attention to him--he is always posing to impress his peers!"; "She postured and made a total fool of herself" [syn: pose, posture]
2: assume a posture as for artistic purposes; "We don't know the woman who posed for Leonardo so often" [syn: model, pose, sit, posture]

Merriam Webster's

I. noun Etymology: Middle French, from Italian postura, from Latin positura, from positus, past participle of ponere to place — more at position Date: circa 1586 1. a. the position or bearing of the body whether characteristic or assumed for a special purpose <erect posture> b. the pose of a model or artistic figure 2. state or condition at a given time especially with respect to capability in particular circumstances <maintain a competitive posture in the market> 3. a conscious mental or outward behavioral attitude II. verb (postured; posturing) Date: circa 1645 transitive verb to cause to assume a given posture ; pose intransitive verb 1. to assume a posture; especially to strike a pose for effect 2. to assume an artificial or pretended attitude ; attitudinize • posturer noun

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. & v. --n. 1 the relative position of parts, esp. of the body (in a reclining posture). 2 carriage or bearing (improved by good posture and balance). 3 a mental or spiritual attitude or condition. 4 the condition or state (of affairs etc.) (in more diplomatic postures). --v. 1 intr. assume a mental or physical attitude, esp. for effect (inclined to strut and posture). 2 tr. pose (a person). Derivatives: postural adj. posturer n. Etymology: F f. It. postura f. L positura f. ponere posit- place

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Posture Pos"ture (?; 135), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Postured; p. pr. & vb. n. Posturing.] To place in a particular position or attitude; to dispose the parts of, with reference to a particular purpose; as, to posture one's self; to posture a model. --Howell.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Posture Pos"ture, v. i. 1. To assume a particular posture or attitude; to contort the body into artificial attitudes, as an acrobat or contortionist; also, to pose. 2. Fig.: To assume a character; as, to posture as a saint.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Posture Pos"ture (?; 135), n. [F., fr. L. positura, fr. ponere, positum, to place. See Position.] 1. The position of the body; the situation or disposition of the several parts of the body with respect to each other, or for a particular purpose; especially (Fine Arts), the position of a figure with regard to the several principal members by which action is expressed; attitude. Atalanta, the posture of whose limbs was so lively expressed . . . one would have sworn the very picture had run. --Sir P. Sidney. In most strange postures We have seen him set himself. --Shak. The posture of a poetic figure is a description of his heroes in the performance of such or such an action. --Dryden. 2. Place; position; situation. [Obs.] --Milton. His [man's] noblest posture and station in this world. --Sir M. Hale. 3. State or condition, whether of external circumstances, or of internal feeling and will; disposition; mood; as, a posture of defense; the posture of affairs. The several postures of his devout soul. --Atterbury. Syn: Attitude; position. See Attitude.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(postures, posturing, postured) 1. Your posture is the position in which you stand or sit. You can make your stomach look flatter instantly by improving your posture... Sit in a relaxed upright posture. N-VAR 2. A posture is an attitude that you have towards something. (FORMAL) The military machine is ready to change its defensive posture to one prepared for action... = position, stance N-COUNT: usu sing, usu adj N 3. You can say that someone is posturing when you disapprove of their behaviour because you think they are trying to give a particular impression in order to deceive people. (FORMAL) She says the President may just be posturing. VERB: usu cont, V [disapproval] • posturing Any calls for a new UN resolution are largely political posturing...

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

n. 1. Position, attitude, pose. 2. State, condition, situation, phase. 3. Disposition, mood, condition, state, phase.

Moby Thesaurus

acting, action, actions, activity, acts, address, affect, affectation, affectivity, air, appearance, arrangement, array, assumption, attitude, attitudinize, attitudinizing, bearing, bearings, beck, beckon, behavior, behavior pattern, behavioral norm, behavioral science, bluff, bluffing, body language, brow, carriage, case, cast, cast of countenance, charade, cheating, chironomy, circumstance, climate of opinion, color, coloring, common belief, community sentiment, complexion, comportment, conceit, concept, conception, conclusion, condition, conduct, consensus gentium, consideration, countenance, culture pattern, custom, dactylology, deaf-and-dumb alphabet, deception, delusion, demeanor, deportment, disguise, disposition, dissemblance, dissembling, dissimulation, doing, doings, dumb show, emotion, emotivity, estate, estimate, estimation, ethos, eye, facade, face, facial appearance, fakery, faking, false air, false front, false show, falsity, favor, feature, features, feeling, feeling tone, feigning, feint, fix, folkway, footing, format, four-flushing, frame of mind, fraud, front, garb, general belief, gesticulation, gesture, gesture language, gestures, gilt, gloss, goings-on, guise, hand signal, humbug, humbuggery, idea, imposture, impression, jam, judgment, kinesics, layout, lights, lineaments, lines, location, looks, lot, maintien, manner, manners, masquerade, mental attitude, meretriciousness, method, methodology, methods, mien, mind, modality, mode, modus vivendi, mood, motion, motions, movement, movements, moves, mystique, notion, observable behavior, observation, opinion, organization, orientation, ostentation, outlook, outward show, pantomime, pass, pass for, pass off, pattern, peacock, personal judgment, physiognomy, pickle, place, playacting, plight, point of view, poise, popular belief, port, pose, pose for effect, posing, position, practice, praxis, predicament, presence, presumption, pretense, pretension, pretext, prevailing belief, procedure, proceeding, promptness, psychology, public belief, public opinion, quickness, rank, reaction, readiness, representation, seeming, semblance, sentiment, sham, show, show off, shrug, sight, sign language, simulacrum, simulation, sit, situation, social science, speciousness, spot, stance, standing, state, station, status, strike a pose, strike an attitude, style, tactics, theory, thinking, thought, tone, traits, turn, varnish, view, viewpoint, visage, way, way of life, way of thinking, ways, window dressing