Apposing

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. The action of positioning elements in direct contrast to create a visual relationship or opposition
2. A process involving the arrangement of items so that they stand in contrast to one another for analytical purposes
3. The act of setting items opposite each other to highlight differences or create a visual tension

Etymology: "Apposing" is the present participle of "appose", and the verb's own history is a tangle of two near-twins. "Appose" is a variant of "oppose" that came to be used in a different sense, one that has nothing to do with resistance or hostility. Its roots lie in the Latin "appōnō", meaning "to put near" or "to place beside", and the English verb was shaped on the pattern of words like "compose" and "suppose", which share that same Latin-derived structure. The result is a word that has drifted into the neighbourhood of "oppose" without taking its meaning. Where "oppose" means to stand against something, "appose" means to set things side by side or opposite each other. Its participle "apposing" therefore describes the act of placing things in such a relation, a sense that rests on the physical image of objects laid down facing one another rather than in conflict.

Synonyms: juxtaposing, contrasting, aligning, placing, situating

Antonyms: displacing, dismissing, ignoring, removing, separating