reposé

Reposé is the French past participle of reposer, meaning to rest. In French, réposé describes something that is rested, calm, or composed. In English-language usage, coûte de usage of the accented form is rare and typically serves stylistic or scholarly purposes to evoke French diction.

Etymology and meaning

The word derives from the French verb reposer, from Latin reponere, “to place back” or “to lay down.” In French, réposé can function as an adjective meaning rested or at ease, and as a noun it can signify rest or repose in a general sense. In English, the unaccented form repose is far more common as both noun and verb, while repose-like senses are conveyed with phrases such as “in repose.”

Usage in English

In modern English, repose is the standard spelling for the common concepts of rest or composure (n. or v.). The loanword form repousé or répousé is sometimes seen in historical or stylistic writing but is uncommon outside of such contexts. When réposé appears in English texts, it is usually in quotes, titles, or art-historical discourse to impart a French flavor or to align with scholarly register.

In art and literature

In art criticism and poetry, phrases referencing “in repose” describe figures or scenes showing rest, calm, or serene stillness. The accented form réposé may appear in discussions aiming to emphasize French stylistic influence or to reproduce a particular texture of meaning associated with the original French.

See also

Repose; reposeful; rest; calma. In French, en repos denotes being at rest.