[ad. (perh. through mod.Fr. apposition 16th c.) L. appositiōnem, n. of action f. appōnere to put to: see APPOSITE.]
1. The action of putting or placing one thing to another; application.
1541. R. Copland, Guydon’s Quest. Cyrurg. Yf after the fyrste apposycyon … it blede nat wel.
1559. Morwyng, Evonym., 367. All suche thinges as … fomentacions, apposicions, embroches, [etc.].
1650. Fuller, Pisgah, IV. vi. 117. By apposition, or putting of sweet odours to the dead body.
1726. Ayliffe, Parergon, 308. By the Apposition of a Publick Seal.
1875. Poste, Gaius, II. 220. The apposition of the seals of seven attesting witnesses.
† 2. That which is put to or added; an addition.
1610. Gwillim, Heraldry, § 1. i. (1660), 10. For distinction sake, to annex some apposition over and above their paternall Coat.
1655. Fuller, Ch. Hist., II. 67. The Place is plainly written Cern, without any paragogical apposition.
3. The placing of things in close superficial contact; the putting of distinct things side by side in close proximity.
1660. Stanley, Hist. Philos., 64/2. The mistion of the Elements is by apposition.
1669. Gale, Crt. Gentiles, I. I. vi. 35. [The word] according to the various apposition of the leters, may signifie either a foot, or a river.
1830. Lyell, Princ. Geol. (1875), I. II. xix. 488. These layers must have accumulated one on the other by lateral apposition.
1850. Daubeny, Atom. The., iv. 121. The result of the apposition of an assemblage of smaller crystals.
4. The fact or condition of being in close contact, juxtaposition, parallelism.
1606. G. Carleton, Tithes Exam., iv. 21 b. There is an apposition betweene things of the same kinde.
a. 1652. J. Smith, Sel. Disc., V. 160. A mere kind of apposition or contiguity of our natures with the divine.
1802. Fuseli, Lect. Art, iv. (1848), 446. The true medium between dry apposition and exuberant contrast.
1824–8. Landor, Imag. Conv. (1846), 159. He places strange and discordant ideas in close apposition.
1878. T. Bryant, Pract. Surg., I. 145. The cut surfaces and edges of the wounds are to be brought into apposition.
† 5. Rhet. The addition of a parallel word or phrase by way of explanation or illustration of another. Obs.
1561. T. N[orton], Calvin’s Inst., III. 187. Calling faith the worke of God, and geuing it that title for a name of addition, and calling it by figure of apposition Gods good pleasure.
a. 1638. Mede, Wks. (1672), I. xxiv. 93. It is an Apposition, or ἐξήγησις, the latter words declaring the meaning of the former; Peace on earth, that is, Good will towards men.
6. Gram. The placing of a word beside, or in syntactic parallelism with, another; spec. the addition of one substantive to another, or to a noun clause, as an attribute or complement; the position of the substantive so added.
c. 1440. Gesta Rom. (1879), 416. Yonge childryn that gone to the scole haue in here Donete this question, how many thinges fallen to apposicion?
1591. Percivall, Span. Dict., A Preposition … either in Composition, as, Contrahecho … or in Apposition, as, En la casa.
1657. J. Smith, Myst. Rhet., 191. Apposition is a figure … whereby one Noune Substantive is for Declaration and distinction sake added unto another in the same case.
1860. Jowett, Ess. & Rev., 398. In the failure of syntactical power … in various forms of apposition, especially that of the word to the sentence.
