Other forms: disposables
Disposable means made to be used once and thrown away. Disposable cups, disposable gloves, a disposable camera. The word has taken on a note of criticism as the environmental cost of throwing things away has become obvious.
There is a second sense that has nothing to do with rubbish and is at least as common in print: disposable income is the money you have left after tax and essentials, and disposable there means available to dispose of — that is, to use as you choose. Nobody throws it away. The two senses share the verb dispose and split on which of its meanings they take, which catches learners every time.
1adjectivedisposableMade to be thrown away after one use.
“The café has stopped using disposable cups.”
synonyms: single-use, throwaway
2adjectivemoneyOf money, available to spend as you like.
“Households have less disposable income than a year ago.”
3nounsingleA single-use item.
“The ward gets through a box of disposables a day.”
disposable is a quality of being used once.
Also accepted in games: single-use
French
disposer
English
dispose
English, today
disposable
From dispose + -able. dispose Borrowed from French disposer.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA