disposal

Where does the word "disposal" come from? It comes from Latin dis ponere, passing through Old French before entering English (1500s).

Disposal’s story begins in Latin: dis ponere meant “to arrange, to distribute.” To arrange, to distribute, from dis- (apart) and ponere (to place). By medieval, the word had taken hold in Old French as disposer. Carried into French for arranging or getting rid of something. It reached English by 1500s as disposal. Settled as the English word for the act of getting rid of something. Today, disposal means the act of throwing away, using, or arranging something.

1. Stage 1 · Latin · ancient dis ponere "to arrange, to distribute", to arrange, to distribute, from dis- (apart) and ponere (to place).
2. Stage 2 · Old French · medieval disposer "to arrange or get rid of something", carried into French for arranging or getting rid of something.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1500s disposal "the act of getting rid of something", settled as the English word for the act of getting rid of something.