Opposen

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. Archaic: to set oneself against a person or thing in resistance or contention ; to put searching questions to someone in order to test or examine them
2. Old-fashioned term meaning to act in resistance against an opponent ; to interrogate or closely examine a person with pointed questions
3. Obsolete verb for contending against a rival or force ; for questioning someone sharply so as to probe what they know or intend

Etymology: Before it meant to resist, this verb could mean to question someone. In Middle English, "opposen" was used for interrogating a person, a sense that probably arose from confusion with "appose," a word for putting questions to someone or placing things side by side. Both verbs drew on the same Latin root, so their meanings overlapped. The core sense of "opposen" comes from Old French "opposer," meaning to set against, which was built from Latin "ob," meaning against, and "ponere," meaning to place. That literal picture of setting one thing against another explains the modern sense of opposing a plan, a person, or an idea. The "-en" ending marks the older infinitive form, which was later dropped, leaving "oppose."