Positive
/ˈpɑː.zə.tɪv/noun
Having a good, useful, or affirmative quality; or being certain and definite.
Did you know?English got positive through legal and grammatical language: from Latin *positivus* (“settled by convention, affirmative”), ultimately from *ponere* (“to place”), the same root behind *position* and *posture*.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*deh₃-
“to put, place”
Latin
Latin
ponere
“to place, set down”
Latin
Latin
positivus
“settled by agreement; affirmative”
Old French
Old French
positif
“positive; definite; expressed in a formal way”
Middle English
English
positif
“affirmative, explicit, or legally established”
Modern English
English
positive
“affirmative; certain; expressing approval or a good condition”