Apposition
/ˌæp.əˈzɪʃ.ən/noun
A grammatical construction in which one noun or noun phrase is placed beside another to explain, rename, or identify it.
Did you know?In rhetoric and grammar, apposition lets a second name act almost like an incantatory re-identification: “Elizabeth, the queen,” makes the title redefine the person beside it.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*po-si-né-ti
“A reconstructed form meaning “puts” or “places””
Classical Latin
Latin
pōnere
“To put, place, or set down”
Classical Latin
Latin
appōnere
“To place beside or add alongside, formed from ad- “to” plus pōnere”
Late Latin
Latin
appōsitiō
“A placing beside; a grammatical placing of words alongside one another”
14th Century
Middle English
apposicioun
“A grammatical construction involving words placed next to one another”
Modern English
English
apposition
“A grammatical relationship in which one noun phrase explains or renames another”
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