dispose

Dispose is a verb with multiple meanings. In everyday language, it most commonly means to get rid of something by discarding or removing it, as in disposing of household waste. It can also mean to place or arrange something in a particular position or order.

Etymology: The word comes from Middle French disposer, from Latin disponere "to arrange, put in order," formed from dis- meaning apart and ponere to place.

In legal and business contexts, to dispose of an asset or property means to transfer, sell, liquidate, or otherwise relinquish one's title to it, often as part of estate administration or a transaction.

Waste disposal concerns the management of unwanted materials. Methods include landfilling, incineration, recycling, and composting. Proper disposal is regulated to minimize environmental harm and health risks, with rules on segregation, labeling, hazardous waste handling, and record-keeping.

Data disposal refers to securely destroying data and devices to prevent recovery. Practices include secure deletion, cryptographic erasure, shredding of physical media, and adherence to data-retention policies.

Disposal is related to the noun disposition, but the two are distinct in usage: disposition may refer to a person's temperament or to the arrangement of items; disposal denotes the act or process of getting rid of something or placing it.