indispositus

Indispositus is a Latin adjective formed with the prefix in- plus the participle dispositus (placed, arranged) from disponere (to place, arrange). The sense is generally negating disposition or arrangement, yielding meanings such as “not disposed/placed,” “unprepared,” “unfit,” or “indisposed” in the sense of being unwell or unwilling. In English, the term is often encountered as a direct cognate of indisposed or unfit, especially in translations of Late Latin texts.

Grammatically, indispositus declines as a first/second declension adjective: indispositus (masc. nom. sing.), indisposita (fem. nom. sing.), indispositum (neut. nom. sing.), with corresponding endings for other cases and numbers. It agrees in gender, number, and case with the noun it modifies. The feminine and neuter forms follow expected patterns: indisposita, indispositum.

Usage and nuance. The expression can describe physical or social state—someone not in a suitable condition to act, perform, or participate. In medical Latin, it can translate the idea of being indisposed or temporarily unwell. In legal, military, or administrative Latin, it may indicate a lack of readiness, disposition, or proper arrangement. The term is relatively common in late antique and medieval Latin, and appears in various documentary or formal passages rather than in the classical corpus.

See also. dispositus, indisposition, indispotion (medieval Latin compound forms).

Notes. As a derived form, indispositus is primarily a predicate or attributive adjective and is rarely used as a substantive, though context can render it as “one who is indisposed” in some texts.