Juxtapositions

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The act of positioning two or more things close together to highlight their differences or similarities
2. The placement of objects or ideas side by side in order to compare, contrast, or create an effect
3. A technique involving setting elements next to each other to emphasize contrasts or produce a new perspective

Etymology: "Juxtapositions" is the plural of "juxtaposition," a word English borrowed from French, where it combined two existing parts: "juxtaposition," built from the Latin "iuxta," meaning "near," and "position," from the Latin "ponere," meaning "to place." The Latin "iuxta" itself grew from "iungere," "to join," which is why the sense of closeness runs through the word from the start. The result is a compound that literally describes placing things side by side. The meaning of "near" in "iuxta" is what gives the word its current sense: when two things are set next to each other, the closeness invites comparison, and that comparison is what the word has come to name. The plural simply refers to several such pairings or arrangements at once.

Synonyms: contrasts, comparisons, collocations, adjacencies, proximities