'appose' originates from Latin, specifically the word 'appōnere', where the prefix 'ad-' (recorded as 'ap-' before 'p') meant 'to' or 'toward' and 'ponere' meant 'to place'.

'appose' passed into Old French as 'apposer' and appeared in Middle English (e.g. 'apposen'), eventually becoming the modern English 'appose' and its derivatives like 'apposed'.

Initially it meant 'to put to or place near' in a literal sense; over time it has retained this core sense and specialized to mean 'place side by side' or 'juxtapose' in modern usage.