post

Hello, you have come here looking for the meaning of the word post. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word post, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say post in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word post you have here. The definition of the word post will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition ofpost, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.

English

Wooden posts.
 post on Wikipedia

Alternative forms

Pronunciation

Etymology 1

From Old English post (pillar, door-post) and Latin postis (a post, a door-post) through Old French.

Noun

post (plural posts)

  1. A long dowel or plank protruding from the ground; a fencepost; a lightpost.
    ram a post into the ground
  2. (construction) A stud; a two-by-four.
  3. A pole in a battery.
  4. (dentistry) A long, narrow piece inserted into a root canal to provide retention for a crown.
  5. (vocal music, chiefly a cappella) A prolonged final melody note, among moving harmony notes.
  6. (paper, printing) A printing paper size measuring 19.25 inches x 15.5 inches.
  7. (sports) A goalpost.
    • 2010 December 29, Chris Whyatt, “Chelsea 1 - 0 Bolton”, in BBC:
      But they marginally improved after the break as Didier Drogba hit the post.
  8. A location on a basketball court near the basket.
  9. (obsolete) The doorpost of a victualler's shop or inn, on which were chalked the scores of customers; hence, a score; a debt.
    • 1600, Samuel Rowlands, The knauve of clubs:
      when God ſends coyne,
      I will diſcharge your poaſt
  10. The vertical part of a crochet stitch.
Derived terms
Terms derived from post (noun) "a dowel"
Translations
The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Verb

post (third-person singular simple present posts, present participle posting, simple past and past participle posted)

  1. (transitive) To hang (a notice) in a conspicuous manner for general review.
    Post no bills.
  2. To hold up to public blame or reproach; to advertise opprobriously; to denounce by public proclamation.
    to post someone for cowardice
    • 1732, George Granville, Epilogue to the She-Gallants, line 13:
      On Pain of being posted to your Sorrow
      Fail not, at Four, to meet me here To-morrow.
  3. (accounting) To carry (an account) from the journal to the ledger.
    • 1712, Humphry Polesworth [pseudonym; John Arbuthnot], “Of John Bull’s Second Wife, and the Good Advice that She Gave Him”, in Law is a Bottomless-Pit. , London: John Morphew, , →OCLC, page 18:
      You have not poſted your Books theſe Ten years; hovv is it poſſible for a Man of Buſineſs to keep his Affairs even in the VVorld at this rate?
  4. To inform; to give the news to; to make acquainted with the details of a subject; often with up.
    • 1872 March 2, “Interviewing a Prince”, in Saturday Review, volume 33, number 853, London, page 273:
      thoroughly posted up in the politics and literature of the day
  5. (transitive) To deposit a payment that may or may not be returned.
    1. (gambling) To pay (a stake or blind).
      Since Jim was new to the game, he had to post $4 in order to receive a hand.
    2. (law) To pay bail.
      to post bail
      • 2022 January 1, Paul Bergman, Sara J. Berman, The Criminal Law Handbook: Know Your Rights, Survive the System, Nolo, →ISBN:
        For example, if the police or court sets bail at $1,000, and a suspect owns a fancy watch worth at least that amount, the defendant may be able to use the watch to post bail.
      • 2010 May 18, David Andrew Schultz, Encyclopedia of the United States Constitution, Infobase Publishing, →ISBN, page 45:
        Because wealthy defendants are better positioned to post bail or provide collateral, the American bail system has been criticized as being biased against the poor.
      • 2006 05, Robert Perry, Dirty Money, iUniverse, →ISBN, page 34:
        Carmen posted a $15,000 bond, and like the other Valenzuelas before her, failed to appear for trial. Morgan's scorecard for case 4: 4.4 pounds seized, 2 Valenzuelas arrested, 1 Valenzuela dismissed, 1 bail jump.
      • 1996, Lee N. June, Matthew Parker, Men to Men: Perspectives of Sixteen African-American Christian Men, Harper Collins, →ISBN, page 201:
        When you post bail, and the case is over, the court system will take 30 percent of that bail which, in this example, will be $3,000 of the original 10 percent that you posted. Hence, you will get $7,000 back.
Derived terms
Descendants
  • Chinese: po
Translations

Etymology 2

Borrowed from Middle French poste, from Italian posta (stopping-place for coaches), feminine of posto (placed, situated).

Noun

post (plural posts)

  1. (obsolete) Each of a series of men stationed at specific places along a postroad, with responsibility for relaying letters and dispatches of the monarch (and later others) along the route.
  2. (dated) A station, or one of a series of stations, established for the refreshment and accommodation of travellers on some recognized route.
    a stage or railway post
  3. A military base; the place at which a soldier or a body of troops is stationed; also, the troops at such a station.
  4. (now historical) Someone who travels express along a set route carrying letters and dispatches; a courier.
    • 1599, George Abbot, Geography, or a Brief Description of the Whole World:
      in certain ſet places there be alwaies fresh Poſts, to carry that further which is brought unto them by the others
    • c. 1590–1591 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Two Gentlemen of Verona”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies  (First Folio), London: Isaac Iaggard, and Ed Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, , line 152:
      I fear my Julia would not deign my lines,
      Receiving them from such a worthless post.
    • 2011, Thomas Penn, Winter King: Henry VII and the Dawn of Tudor England, Penguin, published 2012, page 199:
      information was filtered through the counting-houses and warehouses of Antwerp; posts galloped along the roads of the Low Countries, while dispatches streamed through Calais, and were passed off the merchant galleys arriving in London from the Flanders ports.
  5. (UK, Australia, New Zealand) An organisation for delivering letters, parcels etc., or the service provided by such an organisation.
    sent via post; parcel post
    • 1707, Alexander Pope, Letter VII (to Mr. Wycherly), November 11
      I take it too as an opportunity of sending you the fair copy of the poem on Dullness, which was not then finished, and which I should not care to hazard by the common post.
  6. (UK, Australia, New Zealand) A single delivery of letters; the letters or deliveries that make up a single batch delivered to one person or one address.
    • 2020 November 18, “Stop & Examine”, in Rail, page 71:
      Royal Mail worker Evette Chapman gathered a team of 12 colleagues to deliver post in fancy dress and raise money for a nurses' charity and patients in Musgrove Park Hospital, Taunton.
  7. A message posted in an electronic or Internet forum, or on a blog, etc.
  8. (American football) A moderate to deep passing route in which a receiver runs 10-20 yards from the line of scrimmage straight down the field, then cuts toward the middle of the field (towards the facing goalposts) at a 45-degree angle.
    Two of the receivers ran post patterns.
  9. (obsolete) Haste or speed, like that of a messenger or mail carrier.
  10. (obsolete) One who has charge of a station, especially a postal station.
    • 1858, John Gorham Palfrey, chapter IV, in History of New England, volume 1, page 136:
      there he held the office of postmaster, or, as it was then called, post, for several years.
Derived terms
Terms derived from post (noun) "position; mail" blog post
Descendants
  • Bulgarian: пост (post) (Internet)
  • Chinese: po, PO
    Cantonese: pou1
    Mandarin: pōu
    Min Nan: pho͘
  • French: post
  • Irish: post
  • Italian: post
  • Malay: pos
  • Maori: pōhi
  • Polish: post
  • Portuguese: post
  • Russian: пост (post)
  • Scottish Gaelic: post
  • Spanish: post
  • Swahili: posta
  • Welsh: post
Translations

Verb

post (third-person singular simple present posts, present participle posting, simple past and past participle posted)

  1. To travel with relays of horses; to travel by post horses, originally as a courier.
    • 1816 June – 1817 April/May (date written), [Mary Shelley], Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus. , volume (please specify |volume=I to III), London: for Lackington, Hughes, Harding, Mavor, & Jones, published 1 January 1818, →OCLC:
      Beyond Cologne we descended to the plain of Holland; and we resolved to post the remainder of our way […].
  2. To travel quickly; to hurry.
    • c. 1603–1606, William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of King Lear”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies  (First Folio), London: Isaac Iaggard, and Ed Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, , line 1:
      Post speedily to my lord your husband.
    • c. 1652, John Milton, "On His Blindness", line 13
      thousand at his bidding speed,
      And post o'er land and ocean without rest;
      They also serve who only stand and wait.
  3. (UK, Australia, New Zealand) To send (an item of mail etc.) through the postal service.
    Mail items posted before 7.00pm within the Central Business District and before 5.00pm outside the Central Business District will be delivered the next working day.
  4. (horse-riding) To rise and sink in the saddle, in accordance with the motion of the horse, especially in trotting.
  5. (Internet) To publish (a message) to a newsgroup, forum, blog, etc.
    I couldn't figure it out, so I posted a question on the mailing list.
Derived terms
Descendants
Translations

Adverb

post (not comparable)

  1. With the post, on post-horses; by a relay of horses (changing at every staging-post); hence, express, with speed, quickly.
  2. Sent via the postal service.
Descendants
Translations

Etymology 3

Probably from French poste.

Noun

post (plural posts)

  1. An assigned station; a guard post.
    • 2013 June 8, “The new masters and commanders”, in The Economist, volume 407, number 8839, page 52:
      From the ground, Colombo’s port does not look like much. Those entering it are greeted by wire fences, walls dating back to colonial times and security posts. For mariners leaving the port after lonely nights on the high seas, the delights of the B52 Night Club and Stallion Pub lie a stumble away.
  2. An appointed position in an organization, job.
    • 2005, Jesse Helms, “Bill Clinton”, in Here's Where I Stand: A Memoir, New York: Random House, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, page 198:
      As hard as this may seem for some people to understand, my adamant stand in favor of President Clinton leaving his post was not personal.
    • 2011 December 14, Angelique Chrisafis, “Rachida Dati accuses French PM of sexism and elitism”, in Guardian:
      She was Nicolas Sarkozy's pin-up for diversity, the first Muslim woman with north African parents to hold a major French government post. But Rachida Dati has now turned on her own party elite with such ferocity that some have suggested she should be expelled from the president's ruling party.
Derived terms

See Etymology 2.

Translations

Verb

post (third-person singular simple present posts, present participle posting, simple past and past participle posted)

  1. To enter (a name) on a list, as for service, promotion, etc.
  2. To assign to a station; to set; to place.
    Post a sentinel in front of the door.
    • 1839 September, Thomas De Quincey, “Early Memorials of Grasmere”, in Autobiographic Sketches: With Recollections of the Lakes (De Quincey’s Works; II), London: James Hogg & Sons, →OCLC, page 116:
      [I]t might be to obtain a ship for a lieutenant that had passed as master and commander, or to get him "posted"— []
Translations

Etymology 4

Borrowed from Latin post.

Preposition

post

  1. After; especially after a significant event that has long-term ramifications.
    • 2008, Michael Tomasky, “Obama cannot let the right cast him in that 60s show”, in The Guardian:
      One of the most appealing things for me about Barack Obama has always been that he comes post the post-60s generation.
    • 2008, Matthew Stevens, “Lew pressured to reveal what he knows”, in The Australian:
      Lew reckons he had three options for the cash-cow which was Premier post the Coles sale.
Derived terms
Translations

Etymology 5

Clipping of post-production.

Noun

post (uncountable)

  1. (film, informal) Post-production.
    we'll fix it in post
    • 2013, Bruce Mamer, Film Production Technique: Creating the Accomplished Image:
      Admittedly many of these can be fixed in post, but this may limit your flexibility in other areas.

See also

Etymology 6

Clipping of post mortem.

Noun

post (plural posts)

  1. (medicine, informal) A post mortem (investigation of body's cause of death).
    • 2010, Sandra Glahn, Informed Consent, page 306:
      I gotta run. Yes, send the kid to the morgue. We'll do a post on Monday.

Anagrams

Breton

Etymology

From Latin postis.

Pronunciation

Noun

post m (plural postoù or pester)

  1. pillar; post; pole

Synonyms

Catalan

Pronunciation

Etymology 1

From Latin postis.

Noun

post f (plural posts or postes)

  1. board, plank
  2. shelf
    Synonyms: lleixa, prestatge
Hyponyms
Derived terms

Etymology 2

From Vulgar Latin postus, from positus.

Noun

post m (plural posts or postos)

  1. (military) post

Participle

post (feminine posta, masculine plural posts or postos, feminine plural postes)

  1. past participle of pondre

Further reading

Cimbrian

Etymology

Borrowed from Italian posta.

Noun

post f (Luserna)

  1. post (method of delivering mail)
  2. post office

Derived terms

References

Cornish

Pronunciation

Noun

post m (plural postow)

  1. post (method of sending mail)

Danish

Pronunciation

Etymology 1

Via French poste m from Italian posto (post, location), from Latin positus (position), from the verb pōnō (to place).

Noun

post c (singular definite posten, plural indefinite poster)

  1. post (position, job)
Declension
Derived terms

Etymology 2

Via French poste f from Italian posta (stopping-place, post office), from Latin posita, the past participle of pōnō (to place).

Noun

post c (singular definite posten, not used in plural form)

  1. post, mail (letters or packages)
  2. post, mail (a public institution distributing letters or packages)
  3. postman (a person carrying letters or packages)
Declension
Derived terms

Etymology 3

Via French poste f from Italian posta (stopping-place, post office), from Latin posita, the past participle of pōnō (to place).

Noun

post c (singular definite posten, plural indefinite poster)

  1. entry (in a budget)
Declension
Derived terms

Etymology 4

Via Middle Low German post from Latin postis (post, door-post).

Noun

post c (singular definite posten, plural indefinite poster)

  1. pump, tap, faucet (an outdoor water pump)
  2. (rare, in compounds) post (supporting a door or a window)
Declension
Derived terms

Dutch

Pronunciation

Etymology 1

Borrowed from Middle French poste, from Italian posta.

Noun

post f or m (plural posten, diminutive postje n)

  1. Mail.
  2. A mail office, a post office.
Derived terms
Descendants
  • Afrikaans: pos
  • Caribbean Javanese: pos
  • Indonesian: pos
  • Papiamentu: pòst

Etymology 2

Borrowed from French poste, from Italian posto.

Noun

post f or m (plural posten, diminutive postje n)

  1. A location or station, where a soldier is supposed to be; position.
  2. A post, a position, an office.
    Toekomstig Amerikaans president Barack Obama maakt zijn keuzes bekend voor de posten binnen zijn kabinet op het gebied van veiligheid en buitenlands beleid. — President elect Barack Obama makes his choices known for the posts within his cabinet in the area of security and exterior policy. (nl.wikipedia, 12/3/2008)
Derived terms
Descendants
  • Afrikaans: pos
  • Indonesian: pos
  • Saramaccan: pósu
  • Sranan Tongo: postu
    • Caribbean Javanese: postu

Etymology 3

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Verb

post

  1. inflection of posten:
    1. first/second/third-person singular present indicative
    2. imperative

Anagrams

Esperanto

Etymology

From Latin post.

Pronunciation

Preposition

post

  1. after
  2. behind

French

Etymology

From English post.

Pronunciation

Noun

post m (plural posts)

  1. (Internet) post (message on a blog, etc.)

Anagrams

German

Pronunciation

Verb

post

  1. inflection of posen:
    1. third/second-person singular present
    2. second-person plural present
    3. plural imperative
  2. singular imperative of posten

Irish

Alternative forms

Etymology

Borrowed from English post.

Pronunciation

Noun

post m (genitive singular poist, nominative plural poist)

  1. timber post, stake
  2. (historical) post, letter carrier; (letter) post; postman
  3. (military) post
  4. post, job (of employment)

Declension

Derived terms

timber post
letters
military
job

Mutation

Irish mutation
Radical Lenition Eclipsis
post phost bpost
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

Further reading

Italian

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from English post.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈpɔst/, /ˈpost/, (careful style) /ˈpowst/
  • Rhymes: -ɔst, -ost, (careful style) -owst
  • Hyphenation: pòst, póst

Noun

post m (invariable)

  1. (Internet) post (message in a forum)

References

  1. ^ post in Luciano Canepari, Dizionario di Pronuncia Italiana (DiPI)

Anagrams

Latin

Alternative forms

Etymology

    From earlier poste, from Proto-Italic *posti, from Proto-Indo-European *pósti, from *pós. Related to pōne.

    The accusative is from analogy with ante or inherited like Ancient Greek πρός (prós) with the same metaphor.

    Pronunciation

    Preposition

    post (+ accusative)

    1. behind (of space)
      Antonyms: ante, prae
    2. after, since, (transf.) besides, except (of time)

    Adverb

    post (not comparable)

    1. behind, back, backwards (of space)
    2. afterwards, after (of time)

    Derived terms

    Descendants

    References

    Latvian

    Pronunciation

    Verb

    post (transitive, 1st conjugation, present pošu, pos, poš, past posu)

    1. tidy, clean, adorn
    2. dress up, smarten

    Conjugation

    Mòcheno

    Etymology

    Borrowed from Italian posta.

    Noun

    post f

    1. post (method of delivering mail)
    2. post office

    Derived terms

    References

    Northern Kurdish

    Pronunciation

    Noun

    post m

    1. skin

    Norwegian Bokmål

    Norwegian Wikipedia has an article on:
    Wikipedia no

    Etymology

    From Italian posta (in the given sense).

    Noun

    post m (definite singular posten, indefinite plural poster, definite plural postene)

    1. post or mail (letters etc. sent via the postal service)

    Derived terms

    References

    Norwegian Nynorsk

    Norwegian Nynorsk Wikipedia has an article on:
    Wikipedia nn

    Etymology

    From Italian posta (in this sense).

    Noun

    post m (definite singular posten, indefinite plural postar, definite plural postane)

    1. post or mail (letters etc. sent via the postal service)

    Derived terms

    References

    Old English

    Etymology

    From Latin postis (post, pedestal).

    Pronunciation

    Noun

    post m

    1. post
    2. pedestal

    Declension

    Descendants

    Polish

    Polish Wikipedia has an article on:
    Wikipedia pl

    Pronunciation

    Etymology 1

    Inherited from Proto-Slavic *postъ.

    Noun

    post m inan

    1. fast (act or practice of abstaining from food)
    2. fast (period of time during which one abstains from food)
    Declension
    Derived terms
    adjective
    noun
    verb

    Etymology 2

    Borrowed from English post.

    Noun

    post m animal

    1. post (message)
    Declension

    Further reading

    • post in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
    • post in Polish dictionaries at PWN

    Portuguese

    Etymology

    Unadapted borrowing from English post.

    Pronunciation

     

    Noun

    post m (plural posts)

    1. (Internet slang) post (individual message in an on-line discussion)
      Synonyms: publicação, postagem

    Romanian

    Etymology 1

    From Proto-Slavic *postъ.

    Noun

    post n (plural posturi)

    1. fast (period of abstaining from or eating very little food), fasting
    Declension

    See also

    Etymology 2

    Borrowed from French poste.

    Noun

    post n (plural posturi)

    1. post, position, job, place, appointment, station
    Declension

    Scottish Gaelic

    Etymology

    Borrowed from English post.

    Pronunciation

    Noun

    post m (genitive singular puist, plural puist)

    1. post, mail
    2. Alternative form of posta
    3. post, stake
    4. letter carrier
      Synonym: posta

    Derived terms

    Verb

    post (past phost, future postaidh, verbal noun postadh, past participle poste)

    1. post, mail

    Mutation

    Scottish Gaelic mutation
    Radical Lenition
    post phost
    Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

    Serbo-Croatian

    Etymology

    From Proto-Slavic *postъ.

    Pronunciation

    Noun

    pȏst m (Cyrillic spelling по̑ст)

    1. fast, fasting

    Declension

    Slovene

    Pronunciation

    Noun

    pȍst m inan

    1. fast (act or practice of abstaining from or eating very little food)

    Inflection

    The diacritics used in this section of the entry are non-tonal. If you are a native tonal speaker, please help by adding the tonal marks.
    Masculine inan., hard o-stem
    nominative pòst
    genitive pôsta
    singular
    nominative
    (imenovȃlnik)
    pòst
    genitive
    (rodȋlnik)
    pôsta
    dative
    (dajȃlnik)
    pôstu
    accusative
    (tožȋlnik)
    pòst
    locative
    (mẹ̑stnik)
    pôstu
    instrumental
    (orọ̑dnik)
    pôstom

    This noun needs an inflection-table template.

    Spanish

    Etymology

    Borrowed from English post. Doublet of puesto.

    Pronunciation

    • IPA(key): /ˈpost/
    • Rhymes: -ost
    • Syllabification: post

    Noun

    post m (plural posts)

    1. (computing) post

    Swedish

    Etymology

    Borrowed from English post.

    Pronunciation

    Noun

    post c

    1. postal office; an organization delivering mail and parcels
    2. (uncountable) mail; collectively for things sent through a post office
    3. item of a list or on an agenda
    4. post; an assigned station
    5. position to which someone may be assigned or elected
      Posten som ordförande i idrottsföreningen är vakant.
      The position as chairman in the sports association is free.

    Declension

    Declension of post 
    Singular Plural
    Indefinite Definite Indefinite Definite
    Nominative post posten poster posterna
    Genitive posts postens posters posternas

    Anagrams

    Turkish

    A lamb post.

    Etymology

    From Ottoman Turkish پوست, borrowed from Persian پوست (skin).

    Pronunciation

    Noun

    post (definite accusative postu, plural postlar)

    1. fur, hide, pelt
      Synonyms: kürk, pösteki
    2. (Islam, Sufism, figuratively, by extension from the pelt used as sitting mat) The position of Sheikhdom in tariqas.
    3. (figuratively) A position, an office, a chair.
    4. (figuratively) One's life; hide, ass, heinie.

    Declension

    Inflection
    Nominative post
    Definite accusative postu
    Singular Plural
    Nominative post postlar
    Definite accusative postu postları
    Dative posta postlara
    Locative postta postlarda
    Ablative posttan postlardan
    Genitive postun postların
    Possessive forms
    Nominative
    Singular Plural
    1st singular postum postlarım
    2nd singular postun postların
    3rd singular postu postları
    1st plural postumuz postlarımız
    2nd plural postunuz postlarınız
    3rd plural postları postları
    Definite accusative
    Singular Plural
    1st singular postumu postlarımı
    2nd singular postunu postlarını
    3rd singular postunu postlarını
    1st plural postumuzu postlarımızı
    2nd plural postunuzu postlarınızı
    3rd plural postlarını postlarını
    Dative
    Singular Plural
    1st singular postuma postlarıma
    2nd singular postuna postlarına
    3rd singular postuna postlarına
    1st plural postumuza postlarımıza
    2nd plural postunuza postlarınıza
    3rd plural postlarına postlarına
    Locative
    Singular Plural
    1st singular postumda postlarımda
    2nd singular postunda postlarında
    3rd singular postunda postlarında
    1st plural postumuzda postlarımızda
    2nd plural postunuzda postlarınızda
    3rd plural postlarında postlarında
    Ablative
    Singular Plural
    1st singular postumdan postlarımdan
    2nd singular postundan postlarından
    3rd singular postundan postlarından
    1st plural postumuzdan postlarımızdan
    2nd plural postunuzdan postlarınızdan
    3rd plural postlarından postlarından
    Genitive
    Singular Plural
    1st singular postumun postlarımın
    2nd singular postunun postlarının
    3rd singular postunun postlarının
    1st plural postumuzun postlarımızın
    2nd plural postunuzun postlarınızın
    3rd plural postlarının postlarının

    Derived terms

    References

    1. ^ Nişanyan, Sevan (2002–) “post1”, in Nişanyan Sözlük

    Further reading

    • post”, in Turkish dictionaries, Türk Dil Kurumu

    Welsh

    Pronunciation

    Etymology 1

    Borrowed from English post.

    Noun

    post m (uncountable)

    1. post, mail
    Derived terms

    Etymology 2

    From Latin postis.

    Noun

    post m (plural pyst)

    1. post, pillar
    Alternative forms
    Derived terms

    Mutation

    Welsh mutation
    radical soft nasal aspirate
    post bost mhost phost
    Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.