Historical evidence supports the idea: juxtaposition was showing up in English documents as early as 1654, but juxtapose didn't appear until 1851. Juxtaposition is itself thought to be a combination of Latin juxta, meaning "near," and English position.

Who started juxtaposition?

Breton included the idea of the startling juxtapositions in his 1924 manifesto, taking it in turn from a 1918 essay by poet Pierre Reverdy, which said: "a juxtaposition of two more or less distant realities.

Where did the word juxtaposition originate?

The word juxtaposition originates from the Latin word justa which means 'beside or near' and the French position. This origin initially created the French word 'juxtaposition' which through common usage became part and parcel of the English language.