postO

Posto is a noun in Italian and Portuguese that denotes a place, position, or station, and it is used across a range of everyday and specialized contexts. In both languages it often implies a designated spot or function, rather than a generic “place.”

In Italian, posto commonly means a physical place or seat, as in a chair or a seat on public transport. It also refers to a job or position, for example in phrases like posto di lavoro (job) or posto di comando (command post). Military and security contexts use compounds such as posto di osservazione (observation post) or posto avanzato (forward outpost). A frequent grammatical construction is al posto di, meaning “instead of.”

In Portuguese, posto carries similar core meanings: a place or position, a seat, or a station. It is widely used for workplaces and roles, as in ocupar um posto (to hold a position). The word also designates facilities or stations, such as posto de gasolina (gas station), posto médico (clinic), and border or military outposts like posto de fronteira or posto avançado.

Both languages form numerous compound terms with posto to describe specific sites or roles, from transportation and service facilities to military and administrative postings. As a general term, posto can thus indicate where something or someone is placed, where they work, or where a particular function is performed.

Etymology traces posto to Romance forms derived from Latin positus/positus, meaning placed or positioned, reflecting its core sense of location and function.