Emily Dickinson Lexicon

POSE, v.t. [s as z. W. posiaw, to pose, to make an increment, to gather knowledge, to investigate, to interrogate; pos, a heap, increment, growth, increase; posel, curdled milk, posset; Sax. gepose, heaviness, stuffing of the head. The primary sense is to set or fix, from thrusting or pressing, L. posui, Sp. posar, Fr. poser; hence the sense of collecting into a lump or fixed mass, Ch. and Syr. חבץ, to press, compress, collect, coagulate. Class Bs, No. 24. See also Ar. No. 21, 31, and No. 32, 33, 35, and others in that class.]

1. To puzzle, [a word of the same origin;] to set; to put to a stand or stop; to gravel. Learning was pos'd, philosophy was set. – Herbert. I design not to pose them with those common enigmas of magnetism. – Glanville.
2. To puzzle or put to a stand by asking difficult questions; to set by questions; hence, to interrogate closely, or with a view to scrutiny. – Bacon.