Posed

Posed is the past tense and past participle of pose. The verb sense of pose means to place or position something or someone, or to present something in a particular way. The word derives from Old French poser 'to place, put', from Latin ponere 'to place'. In everyday use, posed can refer to arranging a person for a photograph, presenting a question or problem, or creating a staged arrangement.

As a verb, posed commonly describes actions such as a model or subject being directed to assume a specific posture: "The model posed for the portrait." It can also mean to present or formulate something clearly, as in "The teacher posed a challenging problem." The sense of presenting something to be solved or considered is widely used in academic and intellectual contexts.

As an adjective, "posed" describes imagery or scenes that are staged rather than spontaneous. A "posed portrait" or "posed photo" is arranged by the photographer and subject, often under direction, to achieve a particular composition, mood, or effect. This use stands in contrast to candid photography, where subjects are observed in natural, unposed moments.

In rhetorical and everyday language, to pose a question is to raise it for discussion. The noun pose refers to a stance or posture, and the verb pose has broader applications in art, modeling, mathematics, and logic where problems are "posed" for consideration. The term is neutral in most contexts, though "poseur" can carry a negative connotation when describing a person who adopts a contrived appearance.