postposition

[pohst-puh-zish-uhn, pohst-puh-zish-uhn]

noun

1. the act of placing after.

2. the state of being so placed.

3. Grammar.

   1. the use of words, particles, or affixes following the elements they modify or govern, as of the adjective general in attorney general, or of the particle e “to” in Japanese Tokyo e “to Tokyo.”

   2. a word, particle, or affix so used.

postposition

/ ˌpəʊstpəˈzɪʃən /

noun

1. placement of a modifier or other speech element after the word that it modifies or to which it is syntactically related

2. a word or speech element so placed

Other Word Forms

• postpositionally adverb
• postpositional adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of postposition¹

1540–50; post- + position or (pre)position ¹

Example Sentences

Similarly these postpositions are, in the modern languages, added to the oblique form.

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Thī, the postposition of the G. ablative, is connected with thawũ, to be, one of the verbs substantive in that language.

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The usual genitive postposition is k, which has become a suffix, and now forms part of the word to which it is attached, a final preceding vowel being frequently shortened.

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The inflection of nouns by case endings and postpositions is rich in forms; that of the adjective and numeral less elaborate.

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If the cases are formed by postpositions, new postpositions can be used as soon as the old ones become obsolete.

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