What is the Latin word for dispose?

The usual Latin words for “dispose” are dispōnō, ōrdinō, compōnō; also dīgerō, collocō, cōnstituō. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.

English → Latin

“dispose” in Latin

dispōnōto dispose, distribute or arrange ōrdinōto arrange, put in order, organize; to rule, govern; to ordain, appoint to office compōnōto arrange, compile, compose, make up, organize, order; to construct, build; to pacify, allay, settle, calm, appease, qu dīgerōto distribute, disseminate; to spread, branch out, disperse; to arrange, organize, classify; digest collocōto place, put, set in order, assign, arrange; to put together, assemble; to settle cōnstituōto place, put, locate, lay; to set up, establish, constitute, found; to build, erect, construct vertōto turn, turn oneself, direct one's way, to turn about, turn around, revolve; to turn upside down, overturn, overthrow, dīrigōto lay straight; arrange in lines (especially in military contexts); to direct to a place, guide, steer; to distribute, regōto rule, govern, direct; to guide, steer, control; to oversee, manage īnstituōto set up, establish, found, institute or arrange; to train, teach, instruct, educate (usually by a course of training);

Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864

dispose

To regulate, to arrange, disponere: ordinare: componere: digerere: in ordinem digerere [SYN. in ARRANGE]: collocare: constituere (to put into a proper state or condition): to dispose troops, copias ordinare or disponere (the latter to point out to each soldier or to each division a proper place; Vid: Nep., Iph., 2, 2; in eam consuetudinem: ut singuli ab peritissimo imperatore dispositi essent).

Employ, Vid:

To turn or employ to a particular end, vertere: dirigere (to direct): regere (to rule): instituere: constituere (establish).

To incline, adducere, commovere, incitare or concitare aliquem ad aliquid [SYN. in To INCLINE]: to be favorably disposed towards anybody, alicui favere; inclinatione voluntatis propendere in aliquem (with regard to a party; e.g., of a judge): to be favorably disposed to anything, propensum, etc., esse ad aliquid. I am not disposed [Vid: DISPOSED]: to dispose anybody or anybody’s mind to anything, alicujus animum inclinare ad aliquid (e.g., ad pacem): to dispose anybody to do anything, adducere aliquem, ut, etc., and ad rem faciendam; alicujus animum inclinare, ut, etc.: this disposes me to believe that, etc., haec animum inclinant, ut credam (with accusative and infinitive).

Quick answer

What is the Latin word for dispose?: The usual Latin words for “dispose” are dispōnō, ōrdinō, compōnō; also dīgerō, collocō, cōnstituō. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.

Entry from J. E. Riddle & T. K. Arnold, A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon (rev. C. Anthon, New York: Harper, 1864), digitised by Fergus J. P. Walsh, CC BY-SA 4.0; Latin markup adapted by latindictionary.co.