'appose' originates from Latin, specifically the word 'appōnere,' where 'ad-' (ap-) meant 'to, toward' and 'ponere' meant 'to place.'

'appose' changed from Late Latin/Old French forms such as 'appōnere' and Old French 'apposer' and eventually became the modern English verb 'appose' through Middle English borrowings.

Initially, it meant 'to put to or place near,' and over time it has retained and specialized into the current meanings of 'place side by side' and 'place in apposition.'