appositions
|ap-po-si-tions|
/ˌæpəˈzɪʃənz/
(apposition)
placed beside to explain
Etymology
'apposition' originates from Latin, specifically the word 'appositio', where the prefix 'ad-' (found as 'ap-') meant 'to/toward' and the root 'ponere' (or 'posit-') meant 'to place'.
'apposition' came into English from Medieval/Latin 'appositio' (Late Latin) and was borrowed into Middle English as 'apposition'.
Initially it meant 'the act of placing near or beside', and over time it acquired the specialized grammatical sense of 'a noun or noun phrase placed beside another to explain or identify it'.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a grammatical construction in which a noun or noun phrase is placed next to another noun to identify, explain, or give additional information about it (e.g., 'My friend, a doctor, ...').
Linguists often analyze appositions to see how speakers add extra information about a noun.
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Noun 2
the act or state of placing things side by side; juxtaposition or adjacency.
The appositions of the two paintings in the gallery highlighted their contrasting styles.
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Noun 3
a relation of being set opposite or near; the condition of being apposed (often used in anatomical or formal contexts).
In some anatomical descriptions, appositions of structures are important for identifying function.
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Last updated: 2025/09/26 13:28