imposition

English

Etymology

    From Middle English imposicioun, from Old French imposicion, from Latin impositio.

    Pronunciation

    Noun

    imposition (countable and uncountable, plural impositions)

    1. The act of imposing, laying on, affixing, enjoining, inflicting, obtruding, and the like.
    2. An unwelcome burden, presence, or obligation.
      • 1961 November 10, Joseph Heller, “The Soldier in White”, in Catch-22 […], New York, N.Y.: Simon and Schuster, →OCLC, page 169:
        They gathered soberly in the farthest recess of the ward and gossiped about him in malicious, offended undertones, rebelling against his presence as a ghastly imposition and resenting him malevolently for the nauseating truth of which he was bright reminder.
      • 1991 May 4, Mary Dowd, “Risky Business”, in Gay Community News, page 7:
        He expunges his own anguish at his diagnosis with HIV and the impositions that have claimed his freedom.
    3. That which is imposed, levied, or enjoined.
    4. A trick or deception put or laid on others.
    5. (printing) Arrangement of a printed product’s pages on the printer's sheet so as to have the pages in proper order in the final product.
    6. (religion) A practice of laying hands on a person in a religious ceremony; used e.g. in confirmation and ordination.
    7. (UK, school or university slang) A task imposed on a student as punishment.
      Synonym: impot

    Synonyms

    Derived terms

    Translations

    References

    French

    Etymology

      Learned borrowing from Latin impositiō.

      Pronunciation

      • IPA(key): /ɛ̃.po.zi.sjɔ̃/
      • Audio (France (Lyon)):(file)

      Noun

      imposition f (plural impositions)

      1. imposition
      2. taxation
        Synonym: taxation

      Further reading

      Middle English

      Noun

      imposition

      1. alternative form of imposicioun
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