Lewis & Short

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dis-pōno, pŏsŭi, pŏsĭtum (contr. dispostum, Lucr. 1, 52; 2, 644), 3, v. a., to place here and there, to set in different places, to distribute regularly, to dispose, arrange (cf. dispenso, II.—freq. and class.).

  1. I. Lit.
    1. A. In gen., to set in order, arrange, dispose: libros confusos antea, Cic. Att. 4, 8, a; cf.: Homeri libros, id. de Or. 3, 34, 137: oculos (harundinum), Cato R. R. 47; cf. brassicam, Col. 11, 3, 27: arbores, Plin. 17, 11, 15, § 78: quidque suo loco, Col. 12, 2, 3; cf.: pennas in ordine, Ov. A. A. 2, 45; for which: disjecta membra in ordinem, Sen. Hippol. 1257: obliquos ordines in quincuncem, Caes. B. G. 7, 73, 5: aciem, Tac. H. 2, 41; Plin. 9, 8, 9, § 31: male capillos, Ov. Am. 1, 14, 35; cf. comas, id. Pont. 3, 3, 16; Mart. 12, 83: tectos enses per herbam, Verg. A. 3, 237: ceras per atria, Ov. F. 1, 591; for which: expressi cera voltus singulis disponebantur armariis, Plin. 35, 2, 2, § 6: tabernas deversorias per litora et ripas, Suet. Ner. 27: cubicula plurifariam, id. Tib. 43 et saep.
      Poet.: (Prometheus) corpora disponens, etc., qs. arranging the parts, limbs, i. e. fashioning, forming, Prop. 3, 5, 9 (4, 4, 9 M.): moenia versu, i. e. to describe, id. 4 (5), 1, 57; cf. Ov. Am. 3, 7, 64.
    2. B. In partic., milit. t. t., to set in order, arrange, to draw up, array a body of men, a guard, military engines, etc.: praesidia disponit, castella communit, Caes. B. G. 1, 8, 2; so, praesidia, id. B. C. 3, 15, 2: stationes, id. B. G. 5, 15 fin.; id. B. C. 1, 73, 3: custodias, id. ib. 3, 8, 4: cohortes, id. B. G. 5, 33, 1: equites, id. ib. 7, 56, 4; id. B. C. 3, 101, 3: exploratores, id. B. G. 7, 35, 1: insidias, Front. Strat. 2, 5, 29; 2, 9, 7 al.: equos, to station in relays, Liv. 37, 7: ballistas machinasque, Suet. Calig. 46 et saep.: custodias in muro, Caes. B. G. 7, 27, 1; 7, 34, 1: expeditos, id. B. C. 1, 27 fin. et saep.; cf.: legiones in Apulia hibernorum causa, id. ib. 1, 14, 3: tormenta in muris, id. ib. 1, 17, 3: sudes in opere, id. B. G. 7, 81, 4 et saep.: milites iis operibus quae, etc., id. B. C. 1, 21, 3: exploratores omni fluminis parte, id. B. G. 7, 61, 1: classem omni ora maritima, id. B. C. 3, 5, 2: naves in litore pluribus locis separatim, id. ib. 3, 24, 1: cohortes castris praesidio, id. ib. 3, 88, 4 et saep.: praesidia custodiasque ad ripas Ligeris, id. B. G. 7, 55, 9; cf. id. ib. 7, 65, 3; id. B. C. 1, 50: praesidia cis Rhenum, id. B. G. 4, 4, 3; cf.: legiones Narbone circumque ea loca hiemandi causa, id. B. C. 1, 37, 1: equites per oram maritimam, id. ib. 3, 24, 4; cf. id. ib. 3, 111, 1; Suet. Aug. 32; Front. Strat. 2, 5, 1 et saep.
  2. II. Trop.: verba ita disponunt ut pictores varietatem colorum, paria paribus referunt, Cic. Or. 19 fin.; so of the regular arrangement of the parts of a discourse, id. de Or. 2, 42, 179; 3, 25, 96 al.; Quint. 2, 12, 10; 3, 3, 10 et saep.; cf. also Tac. Or. 3: fac ut plane iis omnibus, quos devinctos tenes, descriptum ac dispositum suum cuique munus sit, Q. Cic. Pet. Cons. 5 fin.; cf. ministeria principatus in equites Romanos, Tac. H. 1, 58: imperii curas, id. A. 16, 8: consilia in omnem fortunam ita disposita habebat (the fig. being borrowed from milit. lang.), Liv. 42, 29: in disponendo die, in arranging the business of the day, Suet. Tib. 11: diem, Sen. Cons. ad Polyb. 25 fin.; Tac. G. 30; Plin. Ep. 9, 36; cf. otium, id. ib. 4, 23: tempus otiosum, Mart. 5, 20: opus et requiem pariter, Pers. 5, 43 et saep.
    1. B. In post-class. lang., with acc. and inf. or rel. clause, like the Gr. διατάσσω, to settle, determine: non alienum erit disponi, apud quem puer interim educetur, Dig. 43, 30, 3, § 4: Thebani apparere paucos disposuerunt, Front. Strat. 3, 2, 10, 2 (dub.): excursatores quingentos sensim praeire disposuit, Amm. 24, 1; 24, 6, 4.
      With ut, Dig. 10, 3, 18.
      Hence, dispŏsĭtus, a, um, P. a., regularly distributed; hence properly ordered, arranged (very rare): studia ad honorem disposita, Cic. Mur. 14: vita hominum, Plin. Ep. 3, 1, 2; also transf.: vir dispositus, an orderly speaker, id. ib. 2, 11, 17.
      As subst.: lumina ex disposito relucentia, Sen. de Prov. 1, 2.
      Comp.: dispositius, Sen. Q. N. praef. fin.; cf. Lact. Ira D. 10 med.
      Sup.       Boëth. Cons. Phil. 4, pros. 2.
      Adv.: dispŏsĭte, orderly, methodically: accusare istum, Cic. Verr. 2, 4, 40, § 87: dicere, Quint. 10, 7, 12: exponere, Vitr. 7 praef. § 18: mundus effectus est (with ordinate), Lact. 3, 17.
      Sup.: aedificare, Sid. Ep. 5, 11.