late Middle English: from late Latin appositio(n-), from apponere 'to apply' (see apposite)
It is possible to place one noun or noun phrase next to another one in a sentence, so that it explains or amplifies it. For example:The Connecticut legislator James Lanman pursued classical studies at Yale College before joining the bar in 1791. Here the short phrases The Connecticut legislator and James Lanman work in parallel. They are said to be in apposition to each other.In the example above, the sentence would work grammatically with only one of the phrases:The connecticut legislator pursued classical studies at Yale College before ... James Lanman pursued ... But neither of these alternative versions is completely satisfactory. The first leads us to ask, “Which Connecticut legislator?,” while the second prompts. “Who is James Lanman”See also parenthesis.