disponere

Disponere is a Latin verb meaning to place in order, arrange, distribute, or dispose of. It derives from dis- plus ponere, and the related noun dispositio denotes an arrangement or disposition. The verb belongs to the third conjugation. The principal parts are disponō, disponere, disposuī, dispositum. In present system forms: disponō, disponis, disponit, disponimus, disponitis, disponunt.

In classical Latin disponere has a broad range of senses. It can mean to place items in a certain order or position, as in librum in ordinem disponere “to arrange the book in order.” It also means to distribute or apportion resources, to deploy or arrange troops on the field, as in copias in acies disponere. More abstract uses include arranging arguments or topics, or settling a plan or policy, often with the sense of making ready or preparing.

The verb also yields the common noun disposi tio, meaning arrangement, order, or disposition, and the participle dispositus meaning disposed or arranged. In philosophy, rhetoric, and theology, the term appears in contexts of systematic arrangement and deployment of ideas or arguments.

Cognates and related terms appear in many Romance languages, such as Italian disporre, Spanish disponer, French disposer, and Portuguese dispor, reflecting the same root. In English, related words include disposition and dispositive, which derive from the same Latin lineage.

See also: ponere, dispositio, dispositus.