Etymology From Middle English posicioun, from Old French posicion, from Latin positiō (“a putting, position”), from positus (“placed, situated”), past participle of pōnō (“to place”); see ponent. Compare apposition, composition, deposition; see pose.
Train positions and speeds were established by a track magnet at each milepost, which produced a suitable mark on the punched recording tape whenever a train passed.1960 December 23, “Talking of Trains: Recording Electric Operation”, in Trains Illustrated, London: Ian Allan Publishing, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 707:
2
A post of employment; a job.
3
A status or rank.
Chief of Staff is the second-highest position in the army.
4
An opinion, stand, or stance.
My position on this issue is unchanged.
The cause therfore of divorce expres’t in the position cannot but agree with that describ’d in the best and equalest sense of Moses Law.1643, John Milton, Doctrine and Discipline of Divorce:
5
A posture.
Stand in this position, with your arms at your side.
6
Figuratively A situation suitable to perform some action.
The school is not in a position to provide day-care after 4:00 pm.
7
A place on the playing field, together with a set of duties, assigned to a player.
Stop running all over the field and play your position!
8
Business, Finance An amount of securities, commodities, or other financial instruments held by a person, firm, or institution.
long position
naked position
1 more example
For example, at 50:1 leverage, if you're holding a $100,000 position in USD/CHF, you'll need to have at least $2,000 of available margin to hold the position ([$100,000 ÷ 100] × 0.50 = $500).2011, Brian Dolan, Currency Trading For Dummies, John Wiley & Sons, →ISBN, page 253:
9
Business, Finance A commitment, or a group of commitments, such as options or futures, to buy or sell a given amount of financial instruments, such as securities, currencies or commodities, for a given price.
10
Arithmetic A method of solving a problem by one or two suppositions; also called the rule of trial and error.
The following problem-like position occurred in an over-the-board game at a base in Korea:1953 May, Colonel A. S. Penniston, “Reader's Forum”, in Chess Review:
12
Card games, Poker The order in which players are seated around the table.
Etymology From Middle English posicioun, from Old French posicion, from Latin positiō (“a putting, position”), from positus (“placed, situated”), past participle of pōnō (“to place”); see ponent. Compare apposition, composition, deposition; see pose.
1
To put into place.
While other small nations with large banking sectors, such as Iceland and Ireland, have been undone by their reckless lending practices, the debt-free Channel Islands have always positioned themselves as dependable repositories of riches.2012 June 26, Simon Bowers, “Tax crackdowns threaten Channel Islands' haven status”, in The Guardian: