Expose

How to spell expose

6 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce expose

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does expose mean?

1. verbTo uncover or reveal something hidden, or to leave something unprotected and open to an influence.

Expose in a sentence

• The audit will expose any gaps in the company accounts.

• Removing the bandage too soon can expose the wound to infection.

Where does expose come from?

Language of origin: French

Expose came into English in the early fifteenth century from the Old French exposer, meaning 'to set forth' or 'to lay open'. The French verb traces back to the Latin exponere, formed from ex-, meaning 'out', and ponere, meaning 'to put or place'; so the literal idea was 'to put out into the open'. Along the way the French spelling absorbed the verb poser, 'to place or set down', which is why the modern word ends in pose rather than the older pone seen in its cousin 'exponent'. The sense broadened from simply putting something on display to revealing what was hidden or laying it bare to harm, as when film is exposed to light or a fraud is exposed to public view. The same ponere root sits inside a whole family of relatives such as deposit, compose and propose, and remembering that shared pose ending is a handy way to keep the spelling steady.

How the word is built

• ex- (out)
• pose (to put or place, from French poser, ultimately Latin ponere 'to place')