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disposto

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Etymology and origin of the Italian word disposto

Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
1268, Andrea da Grosseto
Ultimate origin
Latin pōnō

Pronunciation

  • /disˈpos.to/, /disˈpɔs.to/[1]

Forms

disposto (feminine disposta, masculine plural disposti, feminine plural disposte, superlative dispostissimo)[1] Old Italian forms include desposto, despuosto and disposito.[2]

Etymology

It is the past participle of disporre, used as an adjective and a noun.[3][4][5][6][1] DEI and Devoto connect it with Latin dispositus, the participle of dispōnō (“to place here and there, to arrange”), and Tommaseo cites a Latin form dispostus beside it.[7][8][9] The Latin verb is formed from pōnō (“to put”) with dis- (“apart”).[3][4] Wiktionary compares Piedmontese dispòst.[1]

French dispos (“fit, in good shape”) (1465) was taken from the Italian adjective, crossed with disposer.[7][10]

Earliest recorded meaning

The TLIO's first record is in Andrea da Grosseto, 1268, in Tuscan.[2] Its first sense is “arranged in order for a purpose”;[2][3] DELI dates the sense “placed in a given order” to Dante's Convivio (1304–1308) and the sense “arranged with an aim” to Bono Giamboni (before 1292).[2][3] Dante speaks of the parts of the body being “indebitamente disposte” (badly arranged) in the deaf and dumb.[11]

Semantic evolution

Old Italian already used the word of people “disposed” for something: fit for a task, ready and inclined to act, well-meaning towards someone, or firmly resolved.[2] DELI dates the sense “inclined” to Giordano da Pisa (1303–1306).[3] In Aristotelian philosophy disposto meant “ready to receive a form”, and in legal use “fixed by authority”.[2] In the Purgatorio Matilda asks Dante to come closer, “tanto che, s'io parlo teco, / ad ascoltarmi tu sie ben disposto” (so that, if I speak to you, you are well placed to hear me).[11]

The noun, “what an act lays down”, is recorded from 1635.[3] In law the combinato disposto is the rule that results from applying two or more provisions together.[12][5]

Timeline

  • 1268 – Andrea da Grosseto uses disposto.[2]
  • Before 1292 – Bono Giamboni uses it for “arranged with an aim”.[3]
  • 1303–1306 – Giordano da Pisa uses it for “inclined”.[3]
  • 1304–1308 – Dante uses it for “placed in order”.[3]
  • 1465 – French dispos is recorded, from Italian.[10]
  • 1635 – The noun disposto “content of an order” is recorded.[3]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. Arranged, placed in a certain order or way: sedie disposte in cerchio.[5][6][13]
  2. Willing, ready, inclined (with a): Sono disposto ad aspettare.[5][6][13]
  3. Minded in a certain way towards someone: ben disposto, mal disposto.[6][13][14]
  4. Laid down, ordered, prescribed: quanto disposto dal contratto.[5][6][12]

Noun

  1. (law) What a rule or provision lays down: secondo il disposto del codice.[5][6][12][1]

Word family

  • dispostezza

Usage notes

Ben disposto and mal disposto are also written as one word, bendisposto, maldisposto.[6][14]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Tesoro della Lingua Italiana delle Origini (1997–), Opera del Vocabolario Italiano, CNR, Firenze; tlio.ovi.cnr.it
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Cortelazzo, Manlio; Zolli, Paolo (1999), Dizionario etimologico della lingua italiana, 2nd ed. by Manlio Cortelazzo and Michele A. Cortelazzo, Bologna: Zanichelli
  4. ^ a b Nocentini, Alberto; Parenti, Alessandro (2010), l'Etimologico: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Firenze: Le Monnier
  5. ^ a b c d e f De Mauro, Tullio (ed.) (2003), Grande dizionario italiano dell'uso, CD-ROM version 2.0, Torino: UTET
  6. ^ a b c d e f g Devoto, Giacomo; Oli, Gian Carlo; Serianni, Luca; Trifone, Maurizio (2026), Nuovo Devoto–Oli: il vocabolario dell'italiano contemporaneo, digital ed., Milano: Le Monnier
  7. ^ a b Battisti, Carlo; Alessio, Giovanni (1950–1957), Dizionario etimologico italiano, 5 vols., Firenze: Barbèra (reprint 1975), p. 1350
  8. ^ Devoto, Giacomo (1968), Avviamento alla etimologia italiana: dizionario etimologico, 2nd ed., Firenze: Le Monnier, p. 147
  9. ^ Tommaseo, Niccolò; Bellini, Bernardo (1861–1879), Dizionario della lingua italiana, 4 vols., Torino: UTET
  10. ^ a b Stammerjohann, Harro, et al. (2008), Dizionario di italianismi in francese, inglese, tedesco, Firenze: Accademia della Crusca; online at difit.italianisticaonline.it
  11. ^ a b Battaglia, Salvatore; Bàrberi Squarotti, Giorgio (1961–2002), Grande dizionario della lingua italiana, 21 vols., Torino: UTET; digital ed. Accademia della Crusca
  12. ^ a b c Zingarelli, Nicola (2009), Lo Zingarelli 2010: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Bologna: Zanichelli
  13. ^ a b c Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse
  14. ^ a b Vocabolario della lingua italiana Treccani (2011), Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana
Cite this entry

“Disposto.” Etymologically, 22 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/it/disposto. Accessed 22 Oct. 2026.

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