Meanings
plural deponents
- lawA witness; especially one who gives information under oath, in a deposition concerning facts known to him or her.
1 more example
The said William Aitken, being of new solemnly sworn, &c., depones he is a Burgess of Hawick, and had the property of a house which he now liferents, the fee being disponed to his son-in-law, Bailie Robert Scot, for the use of his son William, his daughter, Bailie Scot's wife, having paid the price of the house; depones sixty years ago Gilbert Elliot was tenant in Nether Southfield, who broke Hawick Common by plowing a part of it, which the Deponent saw at the Common-Riding when the Magistrates and other persons at the Common-Riding potched the ground he had plowed, and was then sown that he might not reap the crop of this.
1898, R. S. Craig, Adam Laing, The Hawick Tradition of 1514: The Town's Common Flag and Seal, page 240 - grammarA deponent verb.
Synonyms & antonyms
nouna person who testifies or gives a deposition
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*de
- Proto-Indo-European*déh₁
- Proto-Italic*dē
- Latindē
- Latindē-
- Proto-Indo-European*h₂ep
- Proto-Indo-European*h₂epó
- Proto-Indo-European*h₂pó
- Proto-Italic*po
- Proto-Indo-European*teḱ-
- Proto-Indo-European*tḱéytibf.
- Proto-Indo-European*tḱey-
- Proto-Indo-European*tḱinéti
- Proto-Italic*sinō
- Proto-Italic*pozinō
- Latinpōnō
- Latindēpōnō
- Latindēpōnēns
- Englishdeponent
From Latin dēpōnēns (“laying aside”), the present active participle of dēpōnō (“lay aside”), from dē- + pōnō (“put, place”). The name comes from the idea that such verbs were originally reflexive and then later "laid aside" their passive meanings.
More words from Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek ἀποθετικός
- ἀποθετικός (apothetikós)of a verb: having an active meaning but conjugating with a different voice
Chinese Mandarin 異態 /异态, 異相 /异相
- 異態 /异态of a verb: having an active meaning but conjugating with a different voice
- 異相 /异相 (yìxiàng)of a verb: having an active meaning but conjugating with a different voice
Czech deponentní
- deponentníof a verb: having an active meaning but conjugating with a different voice
Danish deponent
- deponentof a verb: having an active meaning but conjugating with a different voice
Dutch deponent, deponent
- deponentof a verb: having an active meaning but conjugating with a different voice
- deponentdeponent verb
Finnish deponentti, deponentti
- deponenttiof a verb: having an active meaning but conjugating with a different voice
- deponenttideponent verb
- deponenttiverbideponent verb
French déponent, déponent
- déponentof a verb: having an active meaning but conjugating with a different voice
- déponentdeponent verb
German Deponens
- Deponensdeponent verb
Greek αποθετικός, αποθετικό
- αποθετικός (apothetikós)of a verb: having an active meaning but conjugating with a different voice
- αποθετικό (apothetikó)deponent verb
Hungarian álszenvedő, deponens
- álszenvedőof a verb: having an active meaning but conjugating with a different voice
- deponensof a verb: having an active meaning but conjugating with a different voice
Icelandic aflagssögn, deponenssögn
- aflagssögndeponent verb
- deponenssögndeponent verb
Irish diúscartach, diúscartach
- diúscartachof a verb: having an active meaning but conjugating with a different voice
- diúscartachdeponent verb
Italian deponente, deponente
- deponenteof a verb: having an active meaning but conjugating with a different voice
- deponentedeponent verb
Japanese デポネント動詞, 形式所相動詞
- デポネント動詞 (deponento dōshi)deponent verb
- 形式所相動詞 (kēshiki shosō dōshi)deponent verb
- 形式受動態動詞 (kēshiki judōtai dōshi)deponent verb
- 能動欠如動詞 (nōdō ketsujo dōshi)deponent verb
- 異態動詞 (itai dōshi)deponent verb
Latin dēpōnēns, deponens
- dēpōnēnsof a verb: having an active meaning but conjugating with a different voice
- deponensdeponent verb
Polish bierny, deponens
- biernyof a verb: having an active meaning but conjugating with a different voice
- deponensdeponent verb
Portuguese depoente
- depoenteof a verb: having an active meaning but conjugating with a different voice
Spanish deponente
- deponenteof a verb: having an active meaning but conjugating with a different voice
Swedish deponentiell, deponens
- deponentiellof a verb: having an active meaning but conjugating with a different voice
- deponensdeponent verb
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with deponent
All rhymes →Cite this entry
deponent. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/deponent
“deponent.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/deponent. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “deponent,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/deponent.
Source: deponent on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.