Outpost
/ˈaʊtˌpoʊst/noun
A small military position or settlement placed beyond the main line or frontier.
Did you know?The word is a straightforward military compound, not a mystical term, but it belongs to the same old English root family as words for placing, setting, and positioning—language built like a map of power.
Etymological Timeline
Old English
OE
poste
“A post, pillar, or stake set in the ground”
Middle English
ME
out posten / outposten
“To place or station something outside or beyond a boundary”
16th Century
English
outpost
“A post or station placed beyond the main body of troops”
Modern English
English
outpost
“A remote military station or small settlement on the edge of a region”