repose

[ri-pohz]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR repose ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the state of reposing or being at rest; rest; sleep.

peace; tranquillity; calm.

dignified calmness, as of manner; composure.

absence of movement, animation, etc.: When in repose, her face recalls the Mona Lisa.

verb (used without object), re·posed, re·pos·ing.

to lie or be at rest, as from work, activity, etc.

to lie dead: His body will repose in the chapel for two days.

to be peacefully calm and quiet: The sea reposed under the tropical sun.

to lie or rest on something.

Archaic. to depend or rely on a person or thing.

verb (used with object), re·posed, re·pos·ing.

to lay to rest; rest; refresh by rest (often used reflexively).

Origin of repose

1425–75; late Middle English reposen (v.) < Middle French reposer, Old French < Late Latin repausāre, equivalent to Latin re- re- + Late Latin pausāre to rest (derivative of Latin pausa pause)

Related formsre·pos·ed·ly

[ri-poh-zid-lee] /rɪˈpoʊ zɪd li/, adverbre·pos·ed·ness, nounre·pos·er, noun

Can be confusedre-pose repose

repose

[ri-pohz]

verb (used with object), re·posed, re·pos·ing.

to put (confidence, trust, etc.) in a person or thing.

to put under the authority or at the disposal of a person.

Archaic. to deposit.

Origin of repose

1375–1425; late Middle English reposen to replace, representing Latin repōnere to put back; see re-, pose¹

re-pose

[ree-pohz]

verb (used with or without object), re-posed, re-pos·ing.

to pose again.

Origin of re-pose

re- + pose¹

Can be confusedre-pose repose

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for repose

inactivity, stillness, quietude, renewal, quietness, slumber, ease, peace, quiet, rest, refreshment, restoration, sleep, leisure, tranquillity, relaxation, inaction, respite, relaxing, lie

Examples from the Web for repose

Contemporary Examples of repose

The other, Sophie Berthelot, was allowed in so she could repose in aeternum next to her spouse, the chemist Marcellin.
France Honors Women … Finally
Katie Baker
February 22, 2014
And those in the middle mostly plow ahead, refreshed by the repose of spirit or soul so hard to find at the top or the bottom.
The Music Industry Is Dying? Great
James Poulos
December 26, 2013
This is a still from a 2008 video called "Repose (on the Plinthe)", by Vancouver artist Adad Hannah.
Reflecting on Genius
Blake Gopnik
October 18, 2013
When the action summits, and when the characters are in a state of repose.
Benjamin Percy: How I Write
Noah Charney
June 5, 2013
Hillary Clinton seemed to be in a rare moment of repose while the Middle East erupted.
Hillary Clinton’s War for Women’s Rights
Gayle Tzemach Lemmon
March 6, 2011

Historical Examples of repose

A still, pale fog is soothing; it lulls nature to a kind of repose.
Malbone
Thomas Wentworth Higginson
It has been said that unsettled questions have no pity for the repose of nations.
United States Presidents' Inaugural Speeches
Various
And now I will try if any repose will fall to my lot for the remainder of this night.
Clarissa, Volume 1 (of 9)
Samuel Richardson
Perhaps here she found the repose hitherto so vainly sought.
Biographical Sketches
Nathaniel Hawthorne
I found my new master every way worthy of any confidence I might repose in him.
Biography of a Slave
Charles Thompson

British Dictionary definitions for repose

repose

noun

a state of quiet restfulness; peace or tranquillity

dignified calmness of manner; composure

verb

to place (oneself or one's body) in a state of quiet relaxation; lie or lay down at rest

(intr) to lie when dead, as in the grave

(intr ; foll by on, in, etc) formal to take support (from) or be based (on)your plan reposes on a fallacy

Derived Formsreposal, nounreposer, nounreposeful, adjectivereposefully, adverbreposefulness, noun

Word Origin for repose

C15: from Old French reposer, from Late Latin repausāre from re- + pausāre to stop; see pause

repose

verb (tr)

to put (trust or confidence) in a person or thing

to place or put (an object) somewhere

Derived Formsreposal, noun

Word Origin for repose

C15: from Latin repōnere to store up, from re- + pōnere to put

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for repose

v.1

"lie at rest," mid-15c., from Middle French reposer, from Old French repauser (10c.), from Late Latin repausare "cause to rest," from Latin re-, here probably an intensive prefix (see re-), + Late Latin pausare "to stop" (see pause (v.)). Related: Reposed; reposing.

v.2

"put, place," mid-15c., from Latin repos-, stem of reponere "put back, set back, replace, restore; put away, lay out, stretch out," from re- "back, away" (see re-) + ponere "to put, place" (see position (n.)). Or perhaps [Klein] formed in Middle English from Old French poser, on model of disposen "dispose."

"rest," c.1500, from Middle French repos (11c.), back-formation from reposer (see repose (v.1)).