Getting rid of something; throwing something away or dealing with something in a final way.
From Old French 'disposer,' combining 'dis-' (away, opposite) and 'poser' (to place or put). The root comes from Latin 'ponere' meaning 'to put.' Over time it shifted from 'arranging' to 'getting rid of.'
Lawyers use 'disposing' constantly—'disposing of a case' means finalizing it in court. It's the same root, just applied to legal matters instead of trash. That shift shows how the word is about finishing something, whether that's a lawsuit or garbage.
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