juxta

Juxta is a term derived from the Latin juxta, meaning near or beside. In English it commonly functions as a combining form or prefix to indicate proximity, and it appears in various technical terms across disciplines as well as in common words such as juxtaposition.

In anatomy and biology, juxta- is used to describe positions close to a specified structure, giving rise to terms such as juxtaglomerular (near the glomerulus in the kidney), juxtamedullary (near the medulla), and juxtaarticular (near a joint). The prefix signals spatial relationships in descriptions and classifications.

In linguistics and textual studies, juxta conveys the idea of nearness in arrangement or comparison. It is also the name of a free, open-source software tool used by textual critics to collate and compare multiple manuscript witnesses, revealing variants and relationships between texts.

English words built with juxta include juxtapose and juxtaposition, derived from the Latin juxtā near and the French poser to place. The term thus operates as a marker of adjacency both in specialized terminology and in everyday language.

Because of its versatility, juxta does not refer to a single object or concept but rather to a family of uses tied by the core notion of nearness or proximity.