disposition

See also: Disposition

English

Alternative forms

• dispotion (obsolete)

Etymology

From Middle English disposicioun, from Middle French disposition, from Latin dispositiōnem, accusative singular of dispositiō, from dispōnō; analysable as dispose +‎ -ition. Doublet of dispositio.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˌdɪs.pəˈzɪ.ʃən/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ˌdɪs.pəˈzɪ.ʃɪn/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

Noun

disposition (countable and uncountable, plural dispositions)

1. The arrangement or placement of certain things.

   The scouts reported on the disposition of the enemy troops.

   • 1922, Ben Travers, chapter 5, in A Cuckoo in the Nest:

     The departure was not unduly prolonged. […] Within the door Mrs. Spoker hastily imparted to Mrs. Love a few final sentiments on the subject of Divine Intention in the disposition of buckets; farewells and last commiserations; a deep, guttural instigation to the horse; and the wheels of the waggonette crunched heavily away into obscurity.

2. Tendency or inclination under given circumstances.

   I have little disposition now to do as you say.

   Salt has a disposition to dissolve in water.

3. Temperamental makeup or habitual mood.

   She has a sunny disposition.

   He has such a foul disposition.

   • 1749, Henry Fielding, chapter II, in The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling, volume (please specify |volume=I to VI), London: A[ndrew] Millar […], OCLC 928184292, book III:

     He was, indeed, a lad of a remarkable disposition; sober, discreet, and pious beyond his age […]

4. Control over something.
   • 1927, Havelock Ellis, Studies in the Psychology of Sex, Volume 2 (of 6)‎^[1]:

     Seduced at the age of 10 by a famous sodomist named Duplessis, he had since been at the disposition of a number of homosexual persons, including officers, priests, and marquises.

   You will have full disposition of these funds.

5. (law) Transfer or relinquishment to the care or possession of another.

   The court ordered the disposition of all assets.

   Synonyms: assignment, conveyance

6. (law) Final decision or settlement.

   The disposition of the case will be announced tomorrow.

7. (medicine) The destination of a patient after medical treatment such as surgery.

   The patient was given a disposition for outpatient care.

8. (music) The set of choirs of strings on a harpsichord.

   This small harpsichord has a 1 x 4' disposition.

Derived terms

Derived terms

• ambulatory disposition
• dispositional

• disposition hearing
• testamentary disposition

Related terms

Related terms →

• disposal
• dispose

• dispositive
• predisposition

Translations

tendency or inclination

• Bulgarian: предразположение (bg) n (predrazpoloženie), склонност (bg) f (sklonnost)
• Czech: náchylnost f
• Danish: disposition c
• Dutch: gezindheid (nl) f
• French: disposition (fr) f
• Galician: inclinación (gl) f
• German: Neigung (de) f, Gesinnung (de) f, Hang (de) m, Veranlagung f
• Greek: κλίση (el) f (klísi), τάση (el) f (tási), ροπή (el) f (ropí)
• Greenlandic: iliuuseqarneq

• Irish: méin f
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: disposisjon m

  Nynorsk: disposisjon m

• Romanian: înclinație (ro) f (spre, către), dispoziție (ro) f (spre, către)
• Russian: предрасположе́ние (ru) n (predraspoložénije), скло́нность (ru) f (sklónnostʹ)
• Scottish Gaelic: nàdar m
• Spanish: inclinación (es) f

The arrangement or placement of certain things

• Bulgarian: разоложение n (razoloženie), разставяне n (razstavjane)
• Danish: ordning c, fordeling c, anbringelse (da) c, placering c
• French: disposition (fr) f
• Galician: disposición (gl) f
• German: Einteilung (de) f, Gliederung (de) f, Anordnung (de) f

• Greek: διευθέτηση (el) f (diefthétisi), διάταξη (el) f (diátaxi), ρύθμιση (el) f (rýthmisi)

  Ancient: διάθεσις f (diáthesis)

• Plautdietsch: Veheltniss n
• Romanian: dispozitiv (ro) n
• Russian: расположе́ние (ru) n (raspoložénije), расстано́вка (ru) f (rasstanóvka), размеще́ние (ru) n (razmeščénije)
• Sanskrit: विधान (sa) n (vidhāna)

Temperamental makeup or habitual mood

• Azerbaijani: xasiyyət (az), qılıq
• Bulgarian: характер (bg) m (harakter), нрав (bg) m (nrav)
• Danish: natur (da) c, gemyt n
• French: tempérament (fr) m
• German: Gemütsstimmung f, Gemütsart f, Geistesart f
• Greek: διάθεση (el) f (diáthesi)

  Ancient: ἦθος n (êthos)

• Icelandic: lund (is) f

• Irish: méin f
• Japanese: 性分 (shoubun)
• Macedonian: расположение (raspoloženie)
• Russian: хара́ктер (ru) m (xarákter), нрав (ru) m (nrav), темпера́мент (ru) m (temperáment)
• Spanish: temperamento m, carácter (es) m
• Westrobothnian: töt n, tööt n, schḻa n
• Zulu: inhliziyo (zu) 9 or 10

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Kannada: ^{(please verify)} ಮಾರು (kn) (māru)

Verb

disposition (third-person singular simple present dispositions, present participle dispositioning, simple past and past participle dispositioned)

1. To remove or place in a different position.

Related terms

Related terms →

• disposal
• dispose

• dispositive
• predisposition

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Danish

Noun

disposition c (singular definite dispositionen, plural indefinite dispositioner)

1. This term needs a translation to English. Please help out and add a translation, then remove the text {{rfdef}}.

Declension

Declension of disposition

common gender	Singular		Plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	disposition	dispositionen	dispositioner	dispositionerne
genitive	dispositions	dispositionens	dispositioners	dispositionernes

Further reading

• “disposition” in Den Danske Ordbog

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Finnish

Noun

disposition

1. Genitive singular form of dispositio.

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French

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin dispositiō.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /dis.po.zi.sjɔ̃/

• Audio

  (file)

Noun

disposition f (plural dispositions)

1. arrangement; layout
2. disposal; the ability or authority to use something
3. step; arrangement; measure
4. disposition; tendency

Related terms

• disposer
• dispositif

Further reading

• “disposition” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

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Old French

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin dispositiō.

Noun

disposition f (oblique plural dispositions, nominative singular disposition, nominative plural dispositions)

1. arrangement; layout