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.).
I Lit.
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.—
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.
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, 20 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.—
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.
VI —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.